Dead Birds

[RocW]

We feed the birds in our garden twice a day and they are constantly in the garden. No particularly exciting species, just the usual urban varieties: sparrows, starlings, pigeons, a dove, goldfinches, tits of various sizes, magpies etc. The only time that we have ever seen a dead bird is when a pigeon has flown into a window and broken its neck. Do they go away to die somewhere? Are there avian equivalents of Elephants' graveyards? I don't want to see dead birds but I would have thought that with the amount of live birds we see every day, statistically there would be a likelihood over fifty odd years that we would have found a dead one. (We no longer have a cat but there are several who still come into our garden)

[naomi24]

Interesting question - and one I've often pondered. Hopefully someone will have the answer.

[aelmpvw]

interesting read
https://ornithology.com/why-dont-you-see-dead-birds-laying-around/

[RocW]

Many thanks for this. Very interesting. Naomi and I have learnt something!

[pastafreak]

I have to admit to never wondering...city person that I am. All I ever see are pigeons and young seagulls that have met cars head on. But now I am...the article was fascinating and the comments made for more questions.

[barry1010]

I never thought about baby pigeons. Of course, I was very used to seeing lots of pigeons everywhere but didn't realise I had never seen a baby pigeon until I saw one in its nest, by chance.
By the time pigeon sqaubs leave the nest they are near identical in feather and size to the parent - they stay in the nest twice as long as most other birds.
I found it interesting https://www.birdspot.co.uk/bird-brain/why-dont-you-see-baby-pigeons

[Chipchopper]

I think dead birds are often removed by scavengers, such as fox's crows etc.
I get piles of snail shells at one end of my veg plot, the song thrush takes them there to smash the shells, to devour what's inside.