Raccoons are notorious for raiding bird nests and eating eggs, but do they actually eat bird eggs often? If you’ve ever had issues with raccoons in your yard, you may be wondering if they are targeting and feasting on eggs from the birdhouses or feeders on your property.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Yes, raccoons do eat bird eggs when given the opportunity. However, eggs make up a relatively small portion of a raccoon’s overall diet.
Why Raccoons Eat Bird Eggs
High in Nutrients
Bird eggs contain many essential nutrients that raccoons need to thrive and survive. The yolk is packed with protein, healthy fats, vitamins like A, D, E, and minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc. The whites provide high-quality complete protein.
This makes eggs an excellent source of energy and nutrition for raccoons.
Raccoons are omnivorous mammals that require a balanced diet of plant and animal matter. Eating bird eggs allows them to fulfill their dietary needs for animal protein and fat. Research shows that over 50% of a raccoon’s diet can consist of animal prey like eggs, especially in spring when birds are nesting and eggs are abundant.
Easy to Access Food Source
Bird eggs are a readily available food source that requires little effort for raccoons to find and consume. Raccoons are adept climbers and can access eggs in tree nests, cliff crevices, and other elevated places.
Their intelligence and dexterous front paws allow them to break into nests and pull out eggs. Raccoons may raid multiple nests in a single night to find fresh eggs.
Compared to hunting live prey which requires more energy expenditure, eggs are an easy meal. Birds tend to lay multiple eggs in their nests, providing a concentrated source of food for raccoons. Once raccoons locate a nest, they can return to feed on new eggs as the female bird continues laying them.
They will eat eggs at all stages from fresh to incubated fertilized eggs.
Instinct to Forage
Raccoons have a natural instinct to forage and hunt for food. When they come across a bird’s nest, their scavenging tendencies take over. As omnivores, they are opportunistic eaters and eggs are a nutritious bounty they can’t resist.
Even if raccoons are not hungry, their instinctive urge to hunt down food drives them to raid nests.
According to research, raccoons’ brains release pleasure hormones when they find and eat eggs, reinforcing the rewarding feeling. Wild raccoons can spend over 60% of their time foraging. Egg-eating gives mental stimulation and satisfies their innate desire to scavenge and feed.
With over 85 million raccoons in North America, their presence poses a significant threat to native bird populations and eggs.
What Types of Bird Eggs do They Prefer?
Ground-Nesting Species
Raccoons are especially problematic for ground-nesting birds like ducks, geese, quail, pheasants, and grouse that build open nests on the ground rather than up in trees. These nests are easily accessible and offer little protection, making the eggs an easy snack for hungry raccoons prowling around.
Studies have shown raccoons may consume up to 90% of duck nests in certain wetland areas during peak breeding season. Their excellent sense of smell allows them to sniff out nest locations with ease. Raccoons are also willing to work in groups to raid large goose and duck nesting colonies.
Backyard Birds Like Robins and Finches
In residential areas, raccoons target the nests of common backyard birds like robins, sparrows, and finches. These species often build nests in shrubs, rain gutters, and other semi-exposed areas around homes and yards.
While the nests may be off the ground, robin eggs are still vulnerable since robin nests tend to be messy and loose in construction. Raccoons reaching in from below can snag eggs without knocking the entire nest down.
Expert climbers, raccoons can also scale trees, sheds, fences and other structures to access nests.
Ducks, Geese and Other Waterfowl
As earlier mentioned, one study in the journal Human-Wildlife Interactions found that raccoons may destroy up to 90% of dabbling duck nests and eat their eggs in certain wetland breeding grounds during springtime.
Groups of raccoons systematically hunting waterfowl nests can severely reduce reproductive success.
In urban areas near parks and lakes, broods of domestic geese and ducks may also fall victim to egg snatching raccoons. These large birds tend to nest in visible, vulnerable areas along shorelines rather than hide their eggs away in secluded marshes.
When are Birds Most Vulnerable to Egg Predation?
During Nesting Season
The nesting season, which usually runs from spring through summer, is when most birds lay and incubate their eggs. This makes eggs especially vulnerable to predators like raccoons during this time. Raccoons take advantage of the plentiful food source and will raid nests to consume eggs.
According to one study, over 90% of nest predation occurs during the nesting season.
Birds tend to nest in the open rather than concealed locations to make spotting predators easier. However, this also makes their nests more obvious targets for opportunistic egg eaters. Raccoons are very agile and can access nests in trees, shrubs, on the ground, and other sites.
Their excellent climbing skills and nimble paws allow them to rob nests that other predators cannot.
When Parents Are Away from the Nest
Bird eggs are most vulnerable when parent birds are away from the nest foraging for food. Raccoons are known to watch for adult birds leaving the nest and then swoop in to steal eggs. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the average time eggs are left unattended during the nesting season is less than 5 minutes for most species.
However, this short window gives clever raccoons just enough time to strike.
Some birds have evolved strategies to try to outwit egg predators when they need to leave the nest. For example, quail and plovers will move their eggs before heading out to find food. Upon returning, they call out to their eggs which cues the babies to chirp, allowing the parents to locate them.
However, raccoons can learn to follow adult birds when they move their eggs to raid the new nest site.
At Night
As nocturnal creatures, raccoons do much of their hunting and foraging under the cover of darkness. Nighttime offers fewer encounters with predators and people, allowing raccoons to raid bird nests with less risk.
Many birds rely heavily on their vision and are nearly blind at night, unable to detect sneaky raccoons approaching.
Raccoons are very stealthy and have superb night vision thanks to a special retinal structure that enhances light sensitivity. They can deftly climb and navigate nest sites at night using their keen senses of smell, touch, and hearing.
Studies show that over 90% of nest raids by raccoons occur between sunset and sunrise when most parent birds are roosting vulnerably on their nests.
Tips to Protect Eggs and Nesting Birds
Block Access Points to Nesting Areas
Raccoons are notoriously clever when it comes to finding access points to get their paws on bird eggs. According to the Humane Society, the best tactic is to physically block all possible entryways to nests before breeding season starts.
Use hardware cloth, metal flashing, or wire mesh to seal off any cavities in buildings, trees, or nest boxes where birds may nest. Make sure there are no gaps larger than 1⁄4-1⁄2 inch for egg-eating raccoons to squeeze through.
You can also install predator guards or baffles on poles and trees to prevent climbing.
Use Predator Guards/Baffles
As mentioned above, predator guards or baffles are cone-shaped devices that wrap around tree trunks or poles where birds nest. They physically block raccoons and other predators from climbing up to access nests.
Baffles should be installed at least 5-7 feet off the ground. Make sure any hardware cloth, metal flashing, or wire mesh used to seal cavities extends above the baffle barrier.
Keep Yards Clean to Avoid Attracting Raccoons
Raccoons are drawn to yards and gardens where they can easily find food sources. According to wildlife removal experts Raccoon Attic, the number one way to deter raccoons from pillaging bird nests is to limit their food supply.
This means promptly cleaning up any spilled bird seed, eliminating outdoor pet food dishes, harvesting garden produce as soon as ready, securing trash cans and dumpsters, and stopping intentional wildlife feeding.
Well-fed raccoons have less incentive to hunt for bird eggs. Keep yards and gardens spotless to avoid offering free meals that could entice egg bandits to stick around.
Other Impacts Raccoons Have on Nesting Birds
Destruction of Nests
Raccoons are notorious for raiding bird nests and destroying eggs and hatchlings. They are capable climbers and can access nests in trees, shrubs, and man-made structures with ease. Raccoons will reach into nests with their dexterous front paws and snatch whatever contents they can find.
They are not picky and will eat eggs and baby birds from songbirds, waterfowl, gamebirds, and seabirds alike. The nests of ground-nesting birds are especially vulnerable.
Raccoons will sometimes destroy the entire nest in their quest for a meal. They may knock over nests or pull them apart as they rifle through the contents. Nests on the ground or in shrubs are more easily destroyed than ones in trees.
Even if eggs remain intact after a raccoon raid, the parents may abandon the nest due to the disturbance. The destructive tendencies of raccoons can severely impact local bird populations by reducing reproductive success.
Killing Adult Birds
While they prefer to eat eggs, raccoons will also kill and eat adult birds when given the chance. Their sharp claws and teeth make them well-equipped for capturing and killing avian prey. They are skilled climbers and can chase birds on the wing for short distances.
Most bird species pose little challenge to an adult raccoon.
Raccoons have been known to raid nesting colonies of seabirds, wreaking havoc as they prey on helpless adults. Species that nest on the ground in groups, such as ducks, geese, quail, and grouse, are also susceptible to raccoon attacks.
Solitary nesting birds like doves and pigeons may be ambushed at the nest and killed. The loss of breeding adults along with eggs and chicks can decimate local bird numbers over time.
Disrupting Nesting Behaviors
Even if they do not directly prey on birds, the presence of raccoons can still negatively impact nesting success. Some birds will abandon nests after being frightened off by raccoons, leading to lost clutches.
Raccoons may also occupy bird nesting sites, such as tree cavities, preventing birds from using them. Birds will avoid areas where raccoons are active and may not breed at all. Their widespread distribution throughout North America exacerbates these issues for a variety of bird species.
To mitigate the pressures of raccoon predation and nest disruption, special nest boxes have been developed that prevent raccoon access. Removing food sources like pet food, fallen fruit, and trash around yards can also deter raccoons from ravaging nests in residential areas.
However, in wilder settings, birds will inevitably have to contend with the masked bandits determined to raid their nests for a quick protein-packed meal.
Conclusion
In conclusion, raccoons are opportunistic foragers and will readily eat bird eggs when they can get them. While eggs don’t make up a large portion of their diet, raccoons can still negatively impact local bird populations through nest raiding.
Homeowners can take steps to protect vulnerable nests in their yard by limiting raccoon access. Understanding the threat raccoons pose to nesting birds is key to supporting backyard bird conservation.
