Editing Ringtail (section)

==Diet==
Small vertebrates such as [[Passerine|passerine birds]], [[rat]]s, [[mice]], [[squirrel]]s, [[rabbit]]s, [[snake]]s, [[lizard]]s, [[frog]]s, and [[toad]]s are the most important foods during winters.<ref name=Hunter2/> However, the ringtail is [[omnivorous]], as are all procyonids. [[Berries]] and [[insect]]s are important in the diet year-round, and become the primary part of the diet in spring and summer, along with other [[fruit]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ringtail (''Bassariscus astutus'') |website=nsrl.ttu.edu |url=http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/bassastu.htm |access-date=17 April 2013}}</ref>

As an omnivore the ringtail enjoys a variety of foods in its diet, the majority of which is made up of animal matter. Insects and small mammals such as rabbits, mice, rats and ground squirrels are some examples of the ringtail's carnivorous tendencies. Occasionally the ringtail will also eat fish, lizards, birds, snakes and carrion. The ringtail also enjoys juniper, hack and black berries, persimmon, prickly pear, and fruit in general. They have even been observed partaking from birdseed feeders, hummingbird feeders, sweet nectar or sweetened water.<ref name=ReferenceA/>

The results of a study of scat from ringtails on [[Isla San José (Baja California Sur)|Isla San José]], [[Baja California Sur]], showed that the ringtail tended to prey on whatever was most abundant during each respective season. During the spring the ringtail's diet consisted largely of insects, showing up in about 50% of the analyzed feces. Small rodents, snakes, and some lizards were also present. Plant matter was presented in large amounts, around 59% of the collected feces contained some type of plant, with fruits of ''[[Phaulothamnus]]'', ''[[Lycium]]'', and ''[[Solanum]]'' most common. The large amount of [[ironwood]] seeds and leaves demonstrated that these fleshy fruits were an obvious favorite of the ringtail.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rodríguez-Estrella |first1=Ricardo |first2=Angel |last2=Rodríguez Moreno |first3=Karina |last3=Grajales Tam |date=February 2000 |title=Spring diet of the endemic ring-tailed cat (''Bassariscus astutus insulicola'') population on an island in the Gulf of California, Mexico |journal=Journal of Arid Environments |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=241–246 |doi=10.1006/jare.1999.0579|bibcode=2000JArEn..44..241R }}</ref>