[Birdtalk] Cold Dove

[Dave Rintoul]

John Morgan asks:

A Kestrel is eating a Dove just 40' away from where 15 Doves were parked,
roosting on the ground in plain sight, AND THEY'RE OK WITH THAT????
A Kestel eats snips the head, eats the back/shoulder area and leaves the
white meat?
A Kestrel attacks a sleepy Dove (his same size), gets full and leaves the
mess in my yard?
What? No Magpies to heckle the Kestrel or pick at the remaining carcass??
 
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE??    
====================
 
The few times I have surprised a raptor off a freshly killed bird, the head
was the only part missing. One possible explanation is that the brain (with
all of that fatty myelin) is very high in calories, and bird skulls are so
thin that it is simple for a raptor to access and eat that high-fat meal
quickly. If it had killed a cow, for example, it might not have started with
that thick-skulled end :-) 
 
If the raptor has time, and is hungry, it will start plucking and then feed
on the breast meat. But raptors don't think like people (or at least like
present-day Americans), and high-fat meals are preferred over high protein
meals!
 
I dunno about the other observations (i.e. why the other doves were ignoring
the predator). But hopefully I can at least provide a plausible explanation
for the head-eating behavior.
 
cheers
 
Dave
 
Dr. David A. Rintoul, Associate Director        <drintoul at ksu dot edu>
Biology Division - KSU                               ICBM: 39.19N, 96.58W
Manhattan KS 66506-4901                                 VOX: 785-532-6615
http://www.ksu.edu/biology                              FAX: 785-532-6653

"It is the task of leadership to end our illusions."    - Morris K. Udall