Are these heron feathers?

[The Woodman]

Thank you, RKB.

Note - strike doesn't equate to kill. If kill or near kill happened at one location by strike, feathers left as evidence may not indicate the site of plucking, tearing and devouring. I regularly see plucking sites carpeted with feathers.

I'm no birder but my observations over many years do not support the regular taking of Wood Pigeon by Sparrowhawk. I have no evidence to quote from or my views by supported by peer reviewed literature.

[King Edward]

I see Woodpigeon remains of Sparrowhawk kills reasonably frequently, although I think these probably overestimate the frequency of this species in the Sparrowhawk diet since they're too big to carry off elsewhere and get left out in the open.

Originally Posted by thunder

I think "very far" are the key words here. The putative sprawk may simply have hopped over the hedge with the body, and if it had eaten part of it it would not weigh so much. But I'd be inclined to invoke another predator (Fox or cat) clearing up after the original kill.

The sprawk kills that I have seen have had a great many more feathers spread around them.

This is a good point, but on the basis that there aren't many feathers then the hawk can't have eaten much, if any. Quite likely RKB is right and the pigeon may have escaped.

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Note - strike doesn't equate to kill. If kill or near kill happened at one location by strike, feathers left as evidence may not indicate the site of plucking, tearing and devouring. I regularly see plucking sites carpeted with feathers.

Conversely, pigeons are probably underestimated at plucking sites due to being eaten at/near the point of capture.

[RKB]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

I'm no birder but my observations over many years do not support the regular taking of Wood Pigeon by Sparrowhawk. I have no evidence to quote from or my views by supported by peer reviewed literature.

They are very regular, and often a major part of Sparrowhawk prey. See Ian Newton's monograph. I've even seen a male Sparrowhawk killing an adult woodpigeon, but King Edward is right that they are often eaten in situ (or dragged nearby) because they are too heavy to carry. There are often several little piles of feathers denoting where the pigeon has managed to drag the Sparrowhawk around as it tries to kill it. They will often eat them alive once they have been immobilised, and on three occasions I have had to finish them off after flushing a female Sparrowhawk off a half-plucked pigeon that has had it's back end opened up and has been extensively fed upon.

[The Woodman]

Interesting. Could the incidence of pigeon in the diet be related to are/regional populations?

Compared with some parts of the country where I've seen large flocks of pigeon, there are noticeably fewer in this area. We've no shortage of hawks though.

[~T~]

There is the possibility that the woody may have been killed by a cat which would probably have carried it off.

[Burko]

Originally Posted by ~T~

There is the possibility that the woody may have been killed by a cat which would probably have carried it off.

That was my initial thought, there's plenty over cover to spring from.

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

There are an unnatural amount of breast feathers on the ground.

I don't agree that the number of feathers pictured here represents anything close to the number that would be present, if a predator had made a successful strike at a wood pigeon.

The prime defense of the wood pigeon is the ability to shed feathers ... they detach extremely easily and with very little applied force. In effect it makes them incredibly 'slippery' to hold on to.

If you attempt to pick up a woodie and don't grasp it firmly but gently in just the right way, what you end up holding is just a huge handful of breast or tail feathers ... the feathers on the wings are naturally more securely attached.

So based on the evidence presented by these relatively few feathers, I'd be willing to bet that the pigeon made its escape from whatever it had a tussle with ... might even have been the heron who objected to its presence.

[The Woodman]

I agree, valleyforge, my wording "unnatural" is open to interpretation.