Overview of Wildcat European Nocturnal Carnivore
European wildcat with killed prey European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) with killed prey (a rabbit). The European wildcat is a solitary, nocturnal animal that preys on birds and small mammals. It breeds once yearly (in spring) in continental Europe and twice (sometimes three times) yearly in Scotland.
The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a shy and elusive wild feline native to forests across Europe, from Scotland and Iberia to Eastern Europe and parts of the Balkans. Slightly larger and more robust than a domestic cat, it has a thick, gray-brown coat with faint stripes, a bushy ringed tail with a blunt black tip, and a broad face. Primarily nocturnal and solitary, it preys on small ...
European wildcat
The European wildcat is native to continental Europe, Scotland, Turkey and the Caucasus. It primarily inhabits broad-leaved and mixed forests. In France and Italy, it is predominantly nocturnal , but also active in the daytime when undisturbed by human activities.
Studies on diel activity patterns reveal key insights into the ecology and ethology of a species. Widespread use of camera traps has led to better knowledge about activity patterns of nocturnal , small-medium sized animals difficult to monitor through other approaches. The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) has been well studied across its wide patchy distribution in Europe. Studies on ...
The rhythm of the night
The European wildcat is a threatened carnivore , whose ecology is still scarcely studied, especially in Mediterranean areas. In this study, we estimated activity rhythm patterns of this felid, by means of camera-trapping at three spatial scales: (i) whole country (Italy); (ii) biogeographical areas; (iii) latitudinal zones. The activity rhythms patterns were also calculated according to ...
The European wildcat , Felis silvestris silvestris, is the last surviving native cat species in mainland Britain. Like all felids, wildcats are obligate or 'true' carnivores because they depend on the consumption of meat for all their nutritional requirements, unlike omnivorous predators that are also able to digest plant matter.
European Wildcat
Basic facts about European Wildcat : lifespan, distribution and habitat map, lifestyle and social behavior, mating habits, diet and nutrition, population size and status.
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the African wildcat (F. lybica). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the African wildcat inhabits semi- arid landscapes and steppes in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, into ...
European Wildcat 2026
The European wildcat : Europe's elusive wild feline, built stockier than any house cat and under threat from crossbreeding with domestic cats.
Discover the European Wildcat , its habitat, behavior, and conservation status. Learn how to identify this elusive species in the wild.