For humans, a bird nesting box is a fun backyard feature, something we install knowing that adorable little chicks will soon be inside. For black rat snakes and similar species, however, it’s essentially an all-you-can-eat buffet.
A dedicated birdwatcher recently learned the hard way that you should always secure the nesting box from predators. They opened their backyard birdhouse hoping to see a brood of baby bluebirds and unfortunately found a very satisfied black rat snake instead.
“Opened the door to my Bluebird nesting box to check on the growth of the baby birds and found this snake inside. All the birds were eaten,” u/Marty_the_Cat wrote in a Reddit post alongside the image of the satiated snake.
Opened the door to my Bluebird nesting box to check on the growth of the baby birds and found this snake inside. All the birds were eaten.
by u/Marty_the_Cat in Wellthatsucks
A typical bluebird clutch consists of 2 to 7 eggs, which hatch into chicks after around 2 weeks. The chicks remain in their nest for just 19 days on average, then leave as fledglings to begin their own lives.
Sadly, this means that the baby bluebirds in the nest had only recently hatched. Such is nature, though. As eggs and chicks, birds are at their most susceptible to snakes, chipmunks, raccoons, and other prowling predators.
The black rat snake, specifically, usually prefers rodents. When bite-sized birds are served up to them on a silver platter, however, how can they resist?
This birdwatcher didn’t intend for the chicks to become snake food, of course. But without a snake guard or other protective measure, a nesting box filled with chicks might as well have a neon “hungry snakes welcome” sign above it.
Black rat snakes are excellent climbers
All snakes can climb, but some species will avoid the activity while others scale surfaces with ease. Black rat snakes are firmly in the latter category. They’re so good at climbing, in fact, that they spend much of their time in trees.
With that in mind, climbing up to a nesting box and into the hole meant for birds is no trouble at all for the species.
While they have nothing on their colossal cousins, the 9-foot eastern indigo snake, the black rat snake is on the larger side at 3 to 5 feet on average. Voracious eaters, rat snakes are a highly beneficial species, as they devour large amounts of rats, mice, and other pests.
And though they can be a nuisance to birdwatchers, black rat snakes pose no danger to humans. They’re non-venomous, subduing their prey with constriction instead, and will go out of their way to avoid contact with people.
That said, it’s always wise to avoid harassing snakes of any species. Watching where you step and refraining from touching snakes – even the non-venomous variety – will virtually eliminate your chances of suffering a snake bite.
