What did this? Headless pigeon content.

This morning I was on my way to work and received a panicked call from my kids who had gone out to feed our rabbits only to find a headless pigeon in the garden. No apparent sign of a struggle (just a couple of feathers) and the body was intact – surely a cat/fox wouldn’t decapitate a bird and, if they did, surely there would be more signs of it being eaten, not just having its head removed.

Any ideas?

A French Revolutionary squirrel?

I remember someone telling me once they used to keep canaries or budgies, and a rat got in, killed the lot and ate their heads. Not sure if a rat would take down a pigeon, but I guess, if it died of natural causes, pigeon noggin might make a tasty treat for a passing rodent?

Whatever was eating it will have been disturbed and not gone back, or it will have killed for the sake of it and had a snack then moved on (well fed house cat for example)

or it will have killed for the sake of it and had a snack then moved on (well fed house cat for example)

But would a car eat a head first? Every time I have seen them in the past it’s been the body that’s been eaten and they make a right mess.

My old cat used to decapitate rabbits and leave them in the hallway for me.

Surgical precision.

Perhaps the pigeon got lost and asked for directions form three policemen. Do you live in Manchester?

They can live quite happily without the head for some time. Hope you let it go.

headless pigeon!!?? by stickinsect123[/url], on Flickr

Ozzy Osbourne on bad day?

Maybe some mob boss has woken up with the head of his favourite racing pigeon on his pillow beside him?

Sparrowhawks take pigeons in my garden, maybe it was disturbed?

Ozzy Osbourne on bad day?

This was discussed in the office 🙂

Perhaps the pigeon got lost and asked for directions form three policemen. Do you live in Manchester?

🙂

Territorial baby Robin.

But would a car eat a head first?

Depends if it was Red or not, he eats everything he sees.

Typo aside, I seem to recall cats have a predilection for brains due to some sort of brain only protein, a bit like they like eat wax. Strange things.

Sparrowhawks take pigeons in my garden, maybe it was disturbed?

Disturbed it putting it mildly.

Clearly an immortal pigeon, done in by another immortal pigeon with a tiny sword.

Pretty obvious, I’d have thought.

Clearly an immortal pigeon

“How’s that immortality thing working out for you headless pigeon?”
“…”

pigeon with a tiny sword.

A Sgian Doo presumably?

Seen it before – bird dies in flight (for whatever reason) falls into tree and gets head caught in branches resulting in head being pulled off.

Both cats and foxes will eat the head first. Taurine is an essential part of their diet, and it is found in concentration in the brain.

Foxes in particular tend to remove the head so they can make a quick getaway if disturbed. The head being the most prized part of the kill and easiest to carry.

People feeding orphaned foxes are often advised to supplement their diet with taurine.

So, Red Bull gives you wiiiiiiings. Or leaves them on the lawn.

I’m confused – I was keeping up with you about the cats and foxes, but I doubt a bull could have got into my garden without leaving some evidence such as a broken gate or somesuch – and I don’t care what colour it might be.

Dunno if other animals do the same, but every time our hen flock have been attacked by a fox, the ones that have been killed have been decapitated and found nearby.

Who you gonna call?

A Sgian Doo presumably?

Oh, you.

A bird of prey of some kind. Did have a pigeon drop from the sky once with its beating heart hanging outside its clothes and the hawk circling above, it was in Dundee probably a sparrowhawk too much hard work for a fat buzzard even though there are so many pairs flying about in Scotland

Birds of prey kill with their talons. A sparrow hawk would grab a pigeon in mid-air and drive its talons either into the head or body in order to incapacitate it. It would then immediately start to pluck and eat the back or breast. Gruesome though it sounds, unless the sparrowhawk delivers a fatal head crush, the pigeon may not die immediately as the talons won’t reach anything vital. Sparrowhawk kills are messy.

Bird of prey will do that apparently, take the head off in the air and the body drops to the ground for your kids to find.

Do you live near some woods?