HELP! Predator Identification *warning graphic*

[NadiaJolie]

**WARNING, GRAPHIC**

I just moved to 20 acres with a big beautiful pond. I wanted to see ducks on the pond so I bought 9 gorgeous grown muscovies. For a week I would go out every day and count 9 ducks. Well this morning I only counted 8. My favorite drake was missing! So I started scouring my property for any signs of him. Unfortunately I found what's in the photos

I'm new to predators, besides a hawk getting a bantam once, I've never lost any animals to wild predators. What bothers me more, is why the bite marks look so small? The duck was a good 80-100 feet or so away from the pond and I'm pretty sure he didn't walk there because I've never seen any of the ducks leave the edge of the pond. What on earth can kill a duck and drag it that far away and have such small bite marks? The bites look spade shaped to me too so I'm guessing something with a pointy snout like a coon, possum, skunk or weasel over it being something like a coyote or bobcat. There wasn't much bone damage either. I don't know what I'm trying to catch or look for. And now I have to try and figure out how to catch 8 ducks that don't respond to food at all

What killed my brand new baby?

 

[andreanar]

So many things it could be. Fox, weasel, coon. I'm sorry, hopefully someone with more experience comes along.

 

[sourland]

Scattered feathers around the body are fairly typical of a bird of prey, but I am not ruling out a smaller mammal - mink ?

 

[Sara Ranch]

*hugs*

 

[centrarchid]

Raptor. Feather sign already noted. Neck muscle picked clean with without damage to vertebrate. Your red circles do a beautiful job of pointing out where raptors bill pulled chunks of meat in little triangle shapes that are almost punctures. A mammal would leave gnawing sign.

 

[BantyChooks]

Raptor. Feather sign already noted. Neck muscle picked clean with without damage to vertebrate. Your red circles do a beautiful job of pointing out where raptors bill pulled chunks of meat in little triangle shapes that are almost punctures. A mammal would leave gnawing sign.

x2

 

[CKMore]

Since it has small bit marks, I would say maybe a hawk or an owl.
But the list of predictors are many

Raccoon, Opossum, Weasel, Mink, Coyote, Fox, Eagle, Hawk, Owl, Dog, Cat, Snake, Skunk, Rats

 

[DT12]

Raptor. Feather sign already noted. Neck muscle picked clean with without damage to vertebrate. Your red circles do a beautiful job of pointing out where raptors bill pulled chunks of meat in little triangle shapes that are almost punctures. A mammal would leave gnawing sign.

Agreed, if it happened overnight most likely an owl.

 

[FrankHomestead]

I'm in agreement with a raptor, it left perfectly shaped beak bites.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

A mammal would have gnawed and worried the body by scissoring off chunks of flesh with the teeth in the side of its mouth. A hawk or owl on the other hand feeds by ripping long strings of flesh and muscle then swallowing them like a 6 year old eating spaghetti noodles.