Duck found dead in swamp, head missing

[acaritx]

Hi--I'm hoping y'all might help me identify a daytime duck predator in SW Virginia. I found my near full grown (3 months old) duck in a little swamp near my house missing his head and neck, the rest of his body intact. The swamp is about a foot deep. My ducks love it in there--lots of good stuff to eat--and are mostly sheltered by long grasses and overhanging trees. The center of the swamp is open, however, making it a potential scouting point for hawks and owls (which often take head and neck, I think). I've also read that weasels and minks are known to kill this way and I have seen a mink on my property, but it was not recently (last fall, maybe). Also, I've had no trouble with coop break-ins (knock on wood), and it seems that if my predator were a weasel/mink he might have squeezed his way through the chicken wire by now.

I mainly wonder what would have killed the duck in water. I know minks/weasels like rivers and swamps. But would they be agile enough to kill in a foot of water? Would a hawk? Would an owl be out killing things in the middle of the day?

Lastly, is there any breed of duck that is more predator savvy? My khaki-cambells are a little oblivious...

Thank you!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Likely any of the 4 things you mentioned. Owls do hunt during the day occasionally. Mink and weasels can do some amazing things but usually only kill and drink some blood. They don't often eat much of the bird so hawk might be your culprit.