OHIO-BIRDS Archives

October 2013

OHIO-BIRDS@LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Sarah Winnicki <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Sarah Winnicki <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 10 Oct 2013 20:04:50 -0400
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (30 lines)
Hello everyone,
I have a question regarding the predation of Blue Jays. Today I found
a decapitated adult Blue Jay on the edge a mowed lawn on campus. None
of the flesh of the Blue Jay was eaten, and all of the primary
feathers from one of the wings were strewn in a 2 metre diameter
circle around the body. The spine was clearly broken at the neck, and
the head was no where to be found. What would attack a Blue Jay and
take off just the head (and shred one of the wings in the process)? I
have seen Cooper's Hawks on campus and I am sure that there are
raccoon about (my best guess), but I thought I would ask if anyone
knew of some other interaction that would result in a decapitated jay.
There were also ten or so small hollow balls of a mud-like material (5
millimeters in diameter) attached to the skin near the tail of the
bird (both on the front of the body and the back). Each had a small
opening. Could this be the remnants of some sort of parasite?
I just found it curious, so I thought I would ask.
Thanks,
Sarah Winnicki
Granville, Ohio

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]

ATOM RSS1 RSS2