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Traditional agro‐pastoral practices are more beneficial for biodiversity than intensified agricultural systems. Promotion of the growth of natural herbaceous vegetation in pastoral fields can enhance rodent populations and consequently influence ecological aspects of carnivores with rodent‐based diets, like prey consumption in the European wildcat (Felis silvestris). In this article, we investigated the effects of pastoral field extent, season and prey abundance on wildcat consumption of several prey species in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain). Prey consumption in areas with presence of pastoral fields (even in low proportions) was dominated by profitable field‐dwelling rodent species such as Arvicola monticola. Consumption of Arvicola was not correlated with its abundance and was higher during summer and autumn. Apodemus dominated the wildcat diet in areas with higher forest proportion and far from pastoral fields, particularly during spring. Our results suggest that varying habitat use and seasonal changes in prey accessibility may determine wildcat prey consumption in pastoral landscapes. Our results can contribute to highlight the potential benefits of traditional and sustainable pastoral activities for the conservation of the European wildcat across its distribution range.

The Canary Islands are home to a large variety of endemic fauna. The Canary shrew (Crocidura canariensis) has a distribution restricted to Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and the islets of Lobos and Montaña Clara. One of the main threats to the insular fauna is the arrival of exotic species. The greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) is an easily transportable animal and a potential competitor for C. canariensis. Therefore, C. russula should be taken into account in the management protocols for invasive species. One of the most easily applicable techniques for detecting shrews is the analysis of pellets. This study aims to assess which morphological characters are diagnostic and easy to use when identifying both species of shrews. For this purpose, a blind specific assignment has been made using seven previously described characters and another three added in the present study. The results show that the observer’s experience did not improve the correct identification rate and that only three of the evaluated characters have a high discriminant capacity. Finally, it was found that the combined use of the maximum number of characters and the identification by two independent observers reduces the probability of making a mistake in the determination to minimum values.