… early spring. The badgers are leaving their dens and wandering around. Here, a badger was killed and is lying besides the road. I saw crows (Corvus c. corone) and magpies (Pica pica) foraging on that fresh food bonanza.

Badger (Meles meles), Foto: S.Rösner.

Martin Becker, an enthusiastic birder from Germany, just reported a small survey on bird roadkills from his trip to Oman. Along a 100 km stretch of highway he found about 10 rollers, 12 Mynas and one crow. Some of the victims can be seen here:

A roller …

A crested lark. Oman, all photos: Martin Becker

Eurasian treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) as roadkill; reported by Andreas Marten, Braunschweig.

Martin Becker provided that picture from a dead gull (Larus marinus, 3rd year). At coastlines, here: Texel Island in the Netherlands (02.10.2008), birds are often affected by strong winds and therefore often clash with vehicles.

Another wildcat was reported from the middle mountain range of the “Eifel” by Martin Becker. Typically, wildcats are killed on roads crossing the main habitat of that indigenous mammal species: forests.

 Wildcat as a roadkill victim close to Wallscheid, District ofBernkastel-Wittlich, Sept. 2008 (Photos: M.Becker) 

Pine marten Martes martes. Foto: T.Müllen.

Dead headgehog Erinaceus europaeus on a country road. Foto: S.Rösner

For some mammals, traffic is the major thread to local populations. E.g. lynx, otters and wildcats are often road victims. Here you can see a freshly killed cat. It was killed on a mountain range in Germany, Rhineland-Palatinate. For further information, see: wikipedia.

Foto: Thomas Müllen.

… are hard to find and are often overseen as roadkills. Here an endangered European Butterfly (Apatura ilia), Nymphalidae.

Foto: Thomas Müllen

Here you can see a newly built wildlife passage under a frequently used road in Switzerland.

Wildlife passage, Switzerland, June 2008. Foto: S.Rösner.