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Identifying the Tracks of Animal Pests Common to York Region

If you have an animal pest on your property but do not know which animal or bird it is, there are different ways of identifying it.  If you can see tracks, you may be able to identify the animal or bird that made the tracks by using the table below. Another way to identify the pest is by its scat (feces). This is a more difficult identification process and probably best left to professionals such as The Animal Movers.
Raccoon Tracks
Raccoon Tracks
Raccoons  leave a very distinctive track pattern. Tracks are in pairs, often with a larger rear print right beside a smaller front print as shown to the extreme left of this image.
 
More about raccoons
Squirrel Tracks
Squirrel Tracks
Squirrels are bounders, and in their normal bounding travel, their larger back feet actually land in front of their smaller front feet, as seen in the image to the left.
 
More about squirrels
Skunk Tracks
Skunk Tracks
Skunk tracks show five toes on the front foot and five on the hind foot. The front tracks are smaller and usually show claw marks farther ahead of the toe marks than the rear prints do. This is because the skunk has longer claws on the front feet to use in digging up roots and insects.
 
More about skunks
Opossum Tracks
Opossum Tracks
Opossums have an opposable thumb, which sticks out to one side in their tracks. The back feet are larger than the front feet. Their back footprints are very similar to the prints of a human hand.
 
More about opossums
Bird Tracks Birds
Bird tracks can be placed into one of 5 categores: Classic (3 toes forward and 1 long toe pointing backward), Game Bird (3 toes forward and a very short toe pointing backward), Webbed (3 webbed toes forward and a very short toe pointing backward) , Totipalmate (all 4 toes are webbed), and Zygodactyl (2 toes point forward and 2 point backward).
 
More about birds
Pigeon Tracks
Pigeon Tracks
Most bird tracks are very similar.  Often the only difference is the size of the imprint.  Unless you see the actual bird, it is difficult to identify which bird made which tracks. The prints in this image are those of a common pigeon. Pigeons are in the Game Bird Category.

More about pigeons
Starling Tracks
Starling Tracks
Often the only difference between different bird tracks is the size of the imprint, unless you know what to look for. The prints in the image to the left are made by a starling. Starlingss are in the Classic Bird Category.

More about starlings

 

 

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