Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) Tails Found in Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) Nests

Hannah C. McNeese¹, Angelina M. Burgess¹, Diane L.H. Neudorf^1,*, and Juan D. Daza¹

¹Department Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 20, Issue 3 (2021): N88–N91

Abstract
Thryothorus ludovicianus (Carolina Wren) have rarely been reported to eat lizards. We found Scincella lateralis (Ground Skink) tails in 3 nests of Carolina Wrens occupying nest boxes in residential areas of Huntsville, TX, in 2017. The most likely explanation is that the wrens had been feeding the skinks or their tail sections to their nestlings.

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