• Small, M.F.
  Department of Wildlife, University of Maine, Orono, Maine
  
• Hunter, M.L.
  Department of Wildlife, University of Maine, Orono, Maine
  

The size of forest fragments, the use of land  bordering fragments, and the distance of nests from an edge all affect the frequency of predation upon bird nests in Maine (USA), an area where the forest has been fragmented by roads, but not significantly reduced in area. We placed artificial nests containing quail eggs in forests of different sizes and at various distance from the edge to test which of these factors was most importance in describing predation. Predation was greatest in small tracts surrounded completely by land. Large areas and those bordered on at least one side by a large water body and lower predation rates. This suggests that influx of predators from nearby habitats may be responsible for much of then nest predation in forest fragments.