Diet composition and food habits of wild boar – a literature review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56617/tl.3578

Keywords:

Sus scrofa, acorn, supplementary feeding, ungulate impact, forest habitat, urban wildlife management

Abstract

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is one of the most widespread mammals of our planet. It has the greatest impact on its environment by its feeding behaviour (digging, grazing and predation). Since it is a generalist and opportunistic species, its nutritional composition is extremely plastic, therefore it is able to adapt well to the consumption of the food sources available under various habitat conditions. Studying and better understanding the dietary characteristics of wild boar is a key condition for a proper management of the species-related conflicts. In both, native and introduction areas of distribution, the dominance of plant foods is obvious in the diet of the wild boar. In the natural distribution areas the agricultural crops, while in the region of introduction, the consumption of endangered animal species is to be highlighted. Plant foods typically form 4 main groups: acorns, roots, green plant parts and agricultural crops. The availability of acorns (oak, beech, chestnut) basically determines the diet, but also influences the population dynamics. Among the agricultural and supplementary food components, the importance of maize is outstanding. Considering the animal foods the consumption of earthworms and nest predation in the case of ground-nesting birds is significant. Wild boar appearing in the cities forage on both human-originated and natural food resources. Consequently, more detailed investigations on the impact of waste management and the wise management of urban green habitats are necessary in order to prevent the penetration of wild boar into urban areas.

Author Biography

  • Krisztián Katona, Szent István University, Institute for Wildlife Conservation, H-2100, Gödöllő, Páter K. u. 1.

    corresponding author
    Katona.Krisztian@mkk.szie.hu

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Published

2018-07-16

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Articles

How to Cite

Diet composition and food habits of wild boar – a literature review. (2018). JOURNAL OF LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY | TÁJÖKOLÓGIAI LAPOK , 16(1), 65-74. https://doi.org/10.56617/tl.3578

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