Something killed my duck, took the body but left the head!

[FarmGirl9494]

Something killed my duck! Feathers were ripped everywhere. Her head was decapitated. Body was taken. And the head was left! Ik owls usually eat the head and leave the body right?? This was durring the day and we don't have coons around here, especially durring the day! It was a call duck! Bust cats would not do that round here. Wondering what would would do this!!!
I have had a sharpshined hawk/falcon around here! And lots of redtails. First one taken in years though! And it was just a surprising loss and kill!

Let me know if you know what does this. Couldn't find much on here about body gone and the head left!
The grossest part to me was that when I went out to clean the head up it was gone..... yumm!

 

[mtgrl]

Could be anything. Lots of animals eat the body but not the head. Most, in fact. The body is the "meatiest" part, so many predators will just eat that part and not bother with the bony head. I'm afraid you'll need more evidence to pinpoint your perpetrator. Could be a dog.

Whereabouts do you live and what kind of predators do you have around?

 

[FarmGirl9494]

Another one today.... one of my fav males this time.... sigh. I think it's a falcon or hawk. went out to go get everything in and it must have flown away and not taken it from being scared. didn't see it, only found the body, but it had just happened because I saw him just an hour earlier and he was still warm! the exact same spot as the last time too, but stomach ripped open and intestines were being pulled out. feathers plucked out again. thanks for trying to help. imma look up some falcons and other hawks in my area, it isn't like a redtail to take sooo close to barn, and this wasn't a sharp shinned, so I have some research to do and some protection to put up!

 

[centrarchid]

I have seen where red fox quickly removes head as killing measure with large bird then packs of carcass. Behavior I have seen associated with capture of large bird fox has trouble killing outright and that struggles as fox tries to pack it off.

 

[mtgrl]

That does sound like something pecking at it. Of course I'm not real familiar with how birds kill, but it seems like it would have trouble biting the head off...

Look up owls and eagles in your area too.

 

[FarmGirl9494]

These are call ducks. Not big at all! And no foxes round here anymore, gone for years cuz of the coyotes, but ya I could imagine a fox doing that!
Thank you for your information!

 

[FarmGirl9494]

We have a pair of eagles about 15 min drive away but they don't come here. They stay by the lake. But I have caught the culprit in the act. It was a redtail! I have never had one like this. Idk if it's new around here or one of the ones around here got a mate! But it picked off my best show quality girl yesterday. And I went out to scare him because I saw him in a tree. I then watched him carry it from the tree to another. He left the last one probably cuz my mom scared it. Bht he wouldn't let go of her. Even when we went and chased it out of 3 diff trees. If she wasn't dead when the chase started she was by the end. It was more heartbreaking to watch it carry her lifeless body away then it would have been to have just found her dead. All my calls are in lockdown now for a few weeks. Ik it's sooo nice out and I hate to do it as much as they hate being penned. but I am not risking my other's lives to feed a hawk who has found easy, expensive, well fed prey to pick off.

 

[mtgrl]

So sorry to hear that. We have lots of eagles around here-I live on Rising Eagle Road, in fact, and there's a reason my dad named it that lol. Once I move my quail outside, they're gonna have a nice secure hardware cloth roof over them at all times. You should probably think of doing the same thing to protect your birds from aerial attacks.

 

[FarmGirl9494]

I will be!!! That's for sure. And oh gosh yeah eagles would be a crazy issue with all my larger stuff too! Thank goodness they stay by the lake! And that there is only the 2!!!!

 

[mtgrl]

Haha this is a good thing! Some of those larger eagles I have actually heard can carry away pet dogs

There is actually footage of them picking up wolves, too...