Seagulls,Crows And Pigeons.

[ynnafymmi]

Up here in Aberdeen we have millions of seagulls,millions of pigeons,millions of crows.What happens when they die.Do they go out to sea or something.Apart from a few dead birds in the streets now and again,we never see thousands of dead birds as it should be.Just wondering.Anyone got any ideas?

[barry1010]

They get eaten by foxes and other birds

[ynnafymmi]

Well up here in Bieldside outside of Aberdeen there must be about 20,000 crows wheeling about.I have seen one fox in the last ten years,if they do eat the dead birds the foxes up here would look the same size as polar bears.

[barry1010]

Don't forget the rats and carrion crows, magpies - they all eat dead birds. Just because you have only seen one fox doesn't mean they're not there
https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/local/aberdeen-foxes-snatching-food-left-out-for-seagulls/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-52903827

[ynnafymmi]

Yes,but thousands upon thousands of dead birds,barry.Nah,they must go out to sea or something.Union Street in Aberdeen would be about two feet deep in dead birds if they didnt head out to sea.

[barry1010]

If you say so

[barry1010]

I like that you think a bird realises its time has come and spends its last bit of energy and breath flying out to sea to dispose of itself nicely.
I live in the middle of England, as far from the sea as you can get. There is no significant river nearby but lots and lots of seagulls because of the landfills. I see herons every day - there is a heronry on the canal and magpies and crows are a nuisance. I never see dead birds either - I don't think they fly to the seaside to die.
Have a read of this https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/where-do-birds-go-when-they-die/#:~:text=It%27s%20only%20because%20living%20birds,our%20bodies%20when%20they%20die%3F

[Ken4155]

I am just going out to sea and i may be some time.

[barry1010]

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/ask-an-expert/previous/deadbirds.aspx

[ynnafymmi]

Thanx for all the answers,folks.Still a wee bit mystified.The thousands of crows round my area are all sitting in the trees now.

[barry1010]

That's because they're not dead :) You never see baby pigeons either - life is one big mystery

[Ken4155]

Despite seeing birds of many flavours in my local area, i very rarely come across a dead one. Plenty of stray cats around to nab them as they fall from the sky :-)

[ynnafymmi]

Thats what i was saying,Ken.Despite literally thousands upon thousands of them round about Aberdeen,i rarely see any of them lying dead on the streets or anywhere else.Very odd.

[tiggerblue10]

Living in South London I see mostly pigeons and crows but the only dead birds I've seen are the pigeons that have been run over in the middle of the road.

[douglas9401]

Ever been to Nandos?

[Chipchopper]

Road kill etc, is soon consumed by scavengers (natures clean-up squad.) Apart from that, I think most animals would crawl away somewhere quiet to die.

[Spungle]

Most birds, once they realise they are dying, crawl into the bottom of a hedge or shrub or bush and die. As previous answers, then to be eaten by rats, foxes, cats, crows, magpies, rooks, ravens etc. But predominantly rats. It is rare to come across dead birds because they would generally re-enter the food chain within 24 hours.

[ynnafymmi]

Thanks for all the answers.Over and out.

[dannyk13]

//The absence of feathered corpses may be to do with the large numbers of urban cats, rats, dogs and foxes, and the fact that there are plenty of carrion-eating bird species in cities - crows and gulls - which don't object to a spot of cannibalism.//

[ynnafymmi]

All these flying rats really *** me off.Meanwhile i hardly see any of the wee birdies anymore.I see a robin now and again,i see a couple of starlings and thrushes now and again.I have a wee bird feeder out in my garden.Sometimes i wonder if the flying rats look at the wee birdies and say to themselves yum-yum here comes a tasty lunch.

[barry1010]

Pigeons don't eat birds, if that is what you mean by flying rats