Vertebrate Pests - Birds, Mammals, and Reptiles

Moles can be a nuisance; but they eat grubs, not plants. Photo: Pexels

A vertebrate is an animal with a backbone. It’s a diverse group including warm-blooded animals like squirrels and rats, crows and hummingbirds, and cold-blooded types like snakes and lizards.

Birds

• Feed on insects and help control populations
• Pollinate plants
• Food source for larger beneficial predators 
• Can damage or consume tender, ripening fruits from trees and beds
• May spread disease and pests like mites, lice, or fleas

Mammals

• Large diverse group of fur bearing animals
• Serve as predators for lower-level pests
• Damage or destroy by feeding on plants, burrowing underground, eating, or disturbing roots, consuming garbage, pet food, and building nests  
• Can be very persistent, even if harassed 
• May spread pests that are vectors for disease (e.g., rats with fleas, deer with ticks)

Reptiles

• Include snakes, and lizards 
• Scaly, impermeable skin that does not need to stay moist 
• Most lay leathery-shelled eggs on dry land
• Predators of birds, mice, insects, and plants