Early this morning I was woken up by screeching magpies outside the bedroom window. When I looked out onto the patio, I see a dead pigeon under the bird feeder and a lot of feathers.
Is this weird, unusual or normal behaviour?
Would have thought the pigeon has been killed by something else, which has put the wind up the magpie, but I’m human not corvid.
Magpies will mob birds of prey they deem to be a threat. So a plausible scenario is a hawk killed the pigeon and the magpies wouldn’t let it enjoy its meal.
Magpies like to eat carrion. Sometimes they will kill animals themselves, to avoid the wait.
Not impossible, but I would be astonished to see a hawk in our garden. My wife suspects cats. The pigeon did not appear to be eaten at all - just dead.
Magpies routinely and swiftly move onto a dead animal that no predator is guarding. It’s basically their livelihood, outside trash can territory.
Once I shot a pheasant, and it flew some 50 yards after being lethally hit. Looking after the bird I found it lying dead on its back, with magpies already burrowing into the kill, in a cloud of feathers.
Another time I saw snow white feathers flying in the air on a flat top roof next to my house. Upon inspection there was a dead pigeon on the roof, with magpies enthusiastically excavating for the breast meat. Business as usual.
And yes, they also finish off all kinds of smaller animals that have already been compromised in some manner.
Anybody who doesn’t believe birds are midget dinosaurs need to come upon one of these scenes.