Fed up with Common spadefoots. In April 2017, two bird’s pellets containing several common spadefoots (Pelobates fuscus) were found on the shore of a breeding water in Drenthe province, the Netherlands. The first, with fairly intact preys, included four male and three female common spadefoots and a likely moor frog (Rana arvalis). The second pellet, predominantly consisting of bone fragments, mammal hairs and pieces of amphibian and reptile skin and bone. On species level, it included at least four common spadefoots, a single common lizard (Zootoca vivipara), a single yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollus), an undetermined beetle and dragonfly species. Based on shape and size of the pellet, it is concluded that they belong to a grey heron (Ardea cinerea). The bird, probably the same specimen, is likely to have overfed itself since such pellets only seldom contain detectible (parts of) amphibians.

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A. van Diepenbeek, & R. Struijk. (2020). De buik vol van de knoflookpad. RAVON, 22(3), 46–48.