Rock Dove Kill Site



I came across this kill site last winter in the woods behind our house:

Kill site 2

Kill site 1

 

Raptor kill sites are easily identifiable by the large pile of feathers found mainly under a tree or branch, indicating that the predator sat above while it consumed its meal.

I brought some of the more intact feathers home with me to see if I could identify what the prey was:

Feathers from kill site

Based on color and size, rock dove (Columba livia) is what I came up with as the most likely species. We certainly have plenty of them around – the patch of woods I wander has development nearby, including a shopping plaza just across the main road north of the property line.

As for the predator, we have a number of nesting raptors in the area. Rock doves aren’t terribly small so it’s likely a larger bird – red-tailed hawk perhaps, or broad-wing.

Have you ever come across a large pile of feathers (or fur) outdoors?  Were you able to tell what type of bird or animal got eaten?  Tell us about it in the comments below!

Share Your Thoughts!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.