Badger or Red fox?
These two get mixed up constantly. Here is what actually separates them, taken from each bird's own page.
Badger
Meles meles
Both are dog-sized and nocturnal, and both dig lawns. Everything else separates them: a badger is low, broad and grey with a black-and-white striped face and a stumpy tail, while a fox is rangy, russet and carries a long bushy brush. The digging differs too — badger snuffle holes are small, neat cones scattered across turf; fox digging is scrappier and often a single hole with soil thrown back.
Red fox
Vulpes vulpes
Side by side
| Badger | Red fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | The UK's largest land predator and far bigger than a robin: 75-100cm long with a 15cm tail, weighing 8-12kg. | Much bigger than a robin. Body 62-72cm with a 40cm tail, weighing 5-7kg — smaller and lighter than most people guess, being mostly fur. |
| What it eats | Earthworms above all — several hundred in a night — plus small animals, birds' eggs, fruit and plant material. | Small mammals, birds, frogs and earthworms, plus berries and fallen fruit; urban foxes scavenge discarded food. |
| Status | No Great Britain Red List assessment verified for this species. Its strong statutory protection under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 is a legal status, not a conservation assessment. | No Great Britain Red List assessment verified for this species. The Wildlife Trusts describe its conservation status simply as "Common". |
Still not sure? Describe what you saw and we will rank every garden bird against it — including these two.
Both descriptions are taken from the species pages, which cite the BTO and RSPB. Reviewed 2026-09-20.