Found a headless ringed dove in the garden this week. Now I know that cats don't eat some birds they catch, for example a Robin, but would a cat just have bitten it's head off? Recently however there has been a sparrow hawk in the garden, but I would have though it would have eaten the dove!
Yes a sparrowhawk would have eaten the dove, no idea what it could ahve been. I am usually left with a pile of feathers to clear up after a collared dove and hawk attack. :-\ :-\ :-\
That's what I thought Carol! It seems so unusual to have found a headless dove!
Could it be foxes? They often do that to birds I'm afraid...
It could well be foxes Deb. They have been known to come in our garden, but why wouldn't they have eaten the dove rather than leave it headless?.
I don't know to be honest; I think it may be if they are not truly hungry, they 'play' with the birds like cats do with mice before they kill them...... :-\