Weasel - Mustela nivalis - Family: Mustelidae

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Weasel - Mustela nivalis
© Paul Keene (Avico Ltd)

The weasel is similar to the stoat with chestnut brown upper fur and white underparts, but smaller and lacking the stoat's black tip to its tail. It is a carnivore that hunts mainly at night. It forms breeding nests in hollow trees or banksides and lines them with dry leaves, grass or moss.

The weasel's winter den is sometimes lined with the fur it strips from its prey. The weasel assists the gardener by preying on rats and mice which humans regard as pests. Common and widespread throughout the country, weasels are found in woodlands and hedgerows where prey is plentiful but they have also been found in towns and can and do appear in gardens.

Food

Rats, mice, shrews, voles, small birds and eggs, and young rabbits.

Prey

Bank vole, Common shrew, Dormouse, Rabbit, Water vole, Wood mouse, Yellow-necked mouse

Predators

Sparrowhawk, Tawny owl