What raptors, other than Peregrines, kill pigeons? (1 Viewer)

[stephen dewar]

Hi all, when i come across a pile of pigeon feathers, plucked out and with the bite marks on the feather stems where they have been bitten through on the feather stalk rather than pulled out at the root, is this usually going to be Peregrine? I live in Alloa, Central Scotland and there are very few Goshawk records so its just the Buzzards and Sparrowhawks etc, and as far as i know pigeons are outwith their capacity. The pile of feathers i found yesterday were about 5 metres into a woodland from a field. Do Peregrines take pigeons into woods? I suppose its just wherever the bird lands after the aerial attack and that can be wood, field or anywhere else. I'd like to know so that when i see them i know what i'm looking at with a bit more certainty as to who did what to whom.

Best wishes

Stephen

 

[Capercaillie71]

If the feather shafts have been bitten through rather than plucked out whole, I think the predator is more likely to have been a fox or some other mammal.

Apart from Peregrines and Goshawks, a female sparrowhawk might be able to take a pigeon. They can certainly kill collared doves.

 

[KnockerNorton]

That'd be a fox. Foxes (and cats) bite through the feather shafts, raptors always pluck and never bite through. A fox will often hold the wing down with a foot and pull it off, so you'll get a few primaries still attached to each other. You don't see that with raptors either. Another mammal sign is that you'll often see saliva on the feathers, and some will be stuck together, but don't mistake slug slime or morning dew!

Sparrowhawks often take woodpigeons, as will buzzards (especially if they're already dead, or roadkill). I found a tern in the middle of a wood once. Been brought in by a buzzard.

With a pigeon, a raptor will also leave the breast bone and also probably the wing bones, often still attached. A fox just crunches the lot. But foxes scavenging raptor kills, and vice versa, is a pitfall.

 

[Bill@dwp]

I've seen a female sparrowhawk take a woodie and a feral pigeon over my garden. I think woodies are easier prey and the feral attack I saw was one that was taking off so more vunerable.
However they are pluckers arent they? I've seen several kill remains in the local woods were I go that look like woodies and I always assumed a fox as the kill site was fairly tidy compared to when a sparrowhawk has lunched in my garden when the feathers get everywhere in the area where they land.

 

[jbm32206]

I've seen and known of red tailed hawks taking pigeons quite often.

 

[Brosnabirder]

Hi Stephen,
I would agree with the analysis above. I include a pic of a raptor kill below which illustrates some of the points made above. See how the feathers are plucked and the wings are still attached to the sternum. I arranged the wings like this for the pic but they are definitely attached. The most likely candidate is Peregrine. Pic taken last Saturday. Saw a Peregrine in the area hassling large flocks of Black-tailed Godwit and Golden Plover [below]. The other [less likely candidates] are Hen Harrier and Merlin. Anytime I've seen Peregrine plucking prey it has usually been in an open area with a fairly decent view often on a slightly raised area if on the ground or on a prominent stone. Hope this pic helps

P.S. I say G. Plover because of the delicately yellow notched feather in the bottom left corner of the pic. There were many other similar ones scattered about but this is the most prominent one I can see in the pic. I should really have included something for scale too. Apologies for pic being slightly gory!

 

[Brosnabirder]

Here it is

 

[Sancho]

...........so its just the Buzzards and Sparrowhawks etc, and as far as i know pigeons are outwith their capacity. The pile of feathers i found yesterday were about 5 metres into a woodland from a field........

Hi Stephen, I was out for a cycle last week on a country road, Woodpigeon flashed in front of me, Female Sparrowhawk on its heels, Hawk took the Woodie out of the air in a wood beside the road, both tumbled together into undergrowth, where I presume she despatched woodie forthwith. All happened in a flash, leaving a cloud of woodie plumes floating silently to earth in the shafts of sunlight between the trees.

 

[lockbreeze926]

I presume she despatched woodie forthwith.

Probably not so decisive as that. I've seen Sprawks eating Woodies which were very much still alive - for really quite a long time. Certainly 20 mins to half an hour.

For prey as big as that, the Sprawk doesn't really have a "kill shot", so it just gets the pigeon to the ground any old how and, er, starts to pluck and eat it.

 

[Sancho]

For prey as big as that, the Sprawk doesn't really have a "kill shot", so it just gets the pigeon to the ground any old how and, er, starts to pluck and eat it.

That's a bit tough on the old Woodie. I once saw a Great Black Backed Gull pounce on a a Black-Headed Gull and do the same, basically eat it alive, very, very slowly. In the case of the Woodie last week, the Sprawk did seem, as you say, to be getting it down "any old how", as I said they seemed to tumble and flap to the ground in a ball of feathers, hard to say who was in the driving seat. I intentionally didn't go to the cover to see what was going on 'cos I didn't want to startle the hawk and deprive it of its kill.

 

[KorHaan]

All happened in a flash, leaving a cloud of woodie plumes floating silently to earth in the shafts of sunlight between the trees.

Very nice, poetical words...

Made me want to read them over and over again, pure poetry, beautiful!

Ronald

 

[KnockerNorton]

it's a new genre: tick-lit

 

[Nina P]

I had the discovery of two neat piles of feathers in the garden, one most definately a Woodie, and that pile was directly under the feeders on a pole. (looked like the bird was plucked there and then taken away to be eaten) the other pile was Collared dove and the plucking took place about a foot away from the pole under the penstemons, but both were just feathers, no bits left. I have normally put them down to Mrs Sprawky, as she is a clean taker of both birds in my garden. I have had her take out a woody who was less than 6 feet away from me and I never heard a thing, other than a ruffling of feathers, as birds do at any time. Now she does remove the whole carcase and eat in her special place, wherever that is, not found it in 13 years.