Dead female pheasant

[lincs lass]

Can anyone help?? Found a dead pheasant in the garden today, not long dead as the blood hadn't clotted. Something had got her around the eyes and face.......any ideas what would kill a healthy female???
Neighbour suggested a rat, I thought maybe another bird??? (Am taking the body to work for the pet crem to collect on Friday)

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

No doubt on of our feline friends

[Gill Catton]

Could it be internal hemoraging? Perhaps she's been clipped by a car but not immediately killed? Or perhaps eaten some sort of pest poison that causes hemorraging and prevents clotting?

[Jason Green]

Poor thing. Was there any sign of a bullet?

[Dutchess]

Probably already dead or dying, then pecked by it's very own kind....birds. They tend to go for the eyes first. Magpies, crows, seagulls?

[Jason Green]

Perhaps it WAS shot first. Possible, Lincs Lass?

[witham]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Perhaps it WAS shot first. Possible, Lincs Lass?

I'm not sure of the exact dates but I think the official shooting season has finished, the farmers want them to breed, or they buy in young pheasants from breeders and put them in pens to grow on in areas where they can be released in the wild later on for them to shoot in the autumn, unless someone has been taking pop shots with an air rifle or similar

[Helo]

Originally Posted by Lincs Yellowbelly

No doubt on of our feline friends

Eh?

"No doubt"? How so? Can you expand on that please?

[lincs lass]

No sign of a bullet, no damage other than to face. I wondered if it had disturbed a nesting bird, I know there a fledgling blackbirds near where it was found, and a robin nesting in the laurel nearby.
There are a couple of cats that do come into the garden of an evening.
There is a male and 2 female pheasants that come into the garden from the fields about 3 or 4 times a day, I have a horrible feeling it was one i was watching early yesterday morning.

[Lance Morgan]

Could have been a Stoat.

[Jason Green]

Hello Helo,

He's suggesting a cat could have attacked/killed it. Maybe stress from the chase? (old bird?)

A Stoat is ALSO possible.

[Gill Catton]

When I lived at home with my folks and had my cats there they soon gave up chasing pheasants - even a youngster, most pheasants can easily deal with a cat with that Harrier jump jet manouver.

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

...easily deal with a cat with that Harrier jump jet manouver.

Sounds good for evading! I've never seen a wild pheasant so am unsure of this tactic - what does it do exactly?

[Helo]

We must have strange cats down here then, if, Lincsbelly has 'no doubt' they are the cause of this, because the cats here learn very early on to ignore pheasants, and live quite happily with up to 40 of them at one time in woodland.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Sounds good for evading! I've never seen a wild pheasant so am unsure of this tactic - what does it do exactly?

It bursts off the ground often from a well concealed location, straight up into the air in a loud cluttering of wings and squawking. It's why I tend to think this bird should be re-named Phasianus heartattackus

[Bub-les]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

It bursts off the ground often from a well concealed location, straight up into the air in a loud cluttering of wings and squawking. It's why I tend to think this bird should be re-named Phasianus heartattackus

especially when they come straight towards you!

[Helo]

Or you open your bathroom door, and one is wandering around inside! (bungalow!)

[Jason Green]

Helo- what are pheasants doing in your bathroom?!

[Helo]

You tell me! I have no idea. The front door was open ajar as I had been in and outdoors all day (we live in rural woodland), and the pheasant decided to wander in! It soon wandered out though when it saw me...

[Jason Green]

Oh, must prefer using toilets...

[witham]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

It bursts off the ground often from a well concealed location, straight up into the air in a loud cluttering of wings and squawking. It's why I tend to think this bird should be re-named Phasianus heartattackus

you'd do the same if you knew there was a pack of noisy beaters comming towards you, driving you out of the cover towards up to 20 'Hurray Henrys', many who have paid silly money for the pleasure, stood waiting for you with shotguns at the ready, trying their very best to blast you into oblivion, the Pheasants need to try their very best to get away as quickly as possible it's bred into them

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by witham

you'd do the same if you knew there was a pack of noisy beaters comming towards you, driving you out of the cover towards up to 20 'Hurray Henrys', many who have paid silly money for the pleasure, stood waiting for you with shotguns at the ready, trying their very best to blast you into oblivion, the Pheasants need to try their very best to get away as quickly as possible it's bred into them

Well I would first highlight that this thread is not about any kind of 'blood sport' and I suggest that we don't go off in that particulat tangent for that reason. I also suspect this element of behaviour evolved within along before game shoots were created - where actually staying glued to the ground is a better tactic.

I bet the explosive exit is very successful behaviour against ground predators such as Fox or wild cat, the initial explosion of noise and flapping wings probably causes an initial reaction of suprise in a predator before it comes to its senses and pounces then giving the pheasant an extra bit of time to escape.

[Jason Green]

Gill Caton said:

...I would first highlight that this thread is not about any kind of 'blood sport' and I suggest that we don't go off in that particulat tangent for that reason

I agree. It's funny how threads change - I remember those about Rabbits; they steer away from the particular angle the thread was started with and end up in a discussion on eating them

[witham]

I was only giving a valid reason by highlighting why a Pheasant will suddenly take off when it senses danger as living in the country I have witnessed it many many times when there's been absolutely no need for it to do so, I am the last person who would want to turn this topic around to that particular subject although I though that was the whole idea about these open forums, that each person could express their views etc without people getting 'precious', I have read other threads on here that have ended up completely different to how they started when someone goes off on another angle or even subject but that's what makes it more interesting wether I agree with whats been said or not

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by witham

I was only giving a valid reason by highlighting why a Pheasant will suddenly take off when it senses danger as living in the country I have witnessed it many many times when there's been absolutely no need for it to do so, I am the last person who would want to turn this topic around to that particular subject although I though that was the whole idea about these open forums, that each person could express their views etc without people getting 'precious', I have read other threads on here that have ended up completely different to how they started when someone goes off on another angle or even subject but that's what makes it more interesting wether I agree with whats been said or not

There are just so many threads about blood sport debates, I'm trying to stop this one becoming another one! - Though it is perhaps relevant to dead pheasants so perhaps I should keep quiet