Effect of Egg Size on Predation by White-Footed Mice

We compared predation by wild-trapped, caged white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) on eggs of Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix) and Zebra Finches (Poephila guttata) to test the effect of egg size. Nine male and nine female mice were weighed, acclimated to cages for 24 h, and presented with two wicker nests, one containing a Japanese Quail egg (33 × 23 mm) and the other a Zebra Finch egg (16 × 12 mm). Nests were checked at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, and 24 h; after 24 h, no quail eggs were depredated, but 16 of 18 finch eggs were destroyed. Given their ability to consume small eggs and their ubiquity and abundance, white-footed mice are potentially significant nest predators.