Pheasant murderer: what's the culprit

[pond digger 007]

We have been loosing a few birds: found two the other day, body completely plucked, but not eaten. I'm guessing it's a bird of prey; what do you chaps reckon? We have Buzzard, Sparrow hawk, Tawny Owl.

 

Thanks

[leadbreakfast]

Where was it found in or out of pen? Could of died and pheasant have had a peck

[WGD]

Were the heads still on?

Edited September 10, 2015 by WGD

[Farma Geddon]

Probably left the carcass because they have already eaten .

Buzzard , but only a guess.

[Teal]

If the bird is completely plucked what and where are the marks on the bird that will help with ID.

[kennett]

If its head was smashed in, in my experience it is usually a tawny. If it's plucked it should be easy to see claw or tooth marks to make it a bit easier to work out

[shoot and be safe]

If plucked, it could have been hypothermia

 

 

I'll get my coat

[misser]

over a couple of weeks found several headless, plucked french partridge...couple of days after walked into a clearing and a buzzard was on the ground plucking a fresh headless french partridge....assumed the others were down to a buzzard .....

[FalconFN]

over a couple of weeks found several headless, plucked french partridge...couple of days after walked into a clearing and a buzzard was on the ground plucking a fresh headless french partridge....assumed the others were down to a buzzard .....

It is very possible that a stoat killed it and ate the head and the buzzard came later to eat the carcase. I can't imagine a buzzard would eat the head first.

[pond digger 007]

Thanks for the replies. My son looks after the shooting so I'll ask a few more questions. I didn't examine the bodies closely, but heads were still on. He's left a radio playing near the pen, and strung up some cd's, so we'll see if that helps the situation.

[pond digger 007]

If plucked, it could have been hypothermia

I'll get my coat

That made me laugh

[hifly]

could be a tawny teaching young birds to hunt they just tend to take the heads off, then mr buzzard comes along and feasts on the carcass.

[johnphilip]

If plucked, it could have been hypothermia

I'll get my coat

A bit late its dead:-)

[magman]

poults or ex layers ?

[pond digger 007]

poults or ex layers ?

poults. Still going on apparently: some eaten, others just left; well plucked, but little obvious damage.

[magman]

poults. Still going on apparently: some eaten, others just left; well plucked, but little obvious damage.

 

Hard to pin point but if i had to guess would say rat or mink maybe even hedgehog or badger but not bop

[Paul223]

In pen or outside pen

 

Are you sure there not dying a then being stripped of feathers by other poults?

[subsonicnat]

in a pen, they are all culprits, one spot of blood and they go bananas, They are cannibals when all said and done..

[leadbreakfast]

In pen or outside pen

 

Are you sure there not dying a then being stripped of feathers by other poults?

That's what I thought but didn't get an answer

[pond digger 007]

That's what I thought but didn't get an answer

Sorry; I believe mostly in the pen. I can't imagine a pheasant making such a good job of plucking his mates.

 

Saw a Buzzard perched on a pole only 100 yards away.

[Paul223]

The plucking will be the other poults

 

Anything that would want to eat the dead poult would be unlikely to waste time plucking un necessarily, as a rule they would pluck enough to eat. Plus wasting time plucking exposes the would be plucker to ground predators!

 

Try looking around the head top of neck or top of back for talon marks as that would suggest bop strike?

 

How are the other birds condition wise, have you picked a few up to see if they have any body?

Edited September 25, 2015 by Paul223

[misser]

you got access to a trail cam...might give you a tad more info....

[Elby]

Plucking ******