Welcome to the News section of the iNSiGHT Ornithology website (https://www.simoncherriman.com.au/). This blog contains updates about various things I've been up to, interesting environmental issues and observations I make regularly while going about my day. It is designed to be fun AND educational, and inspire you about our wonderful natural world. Happy reading!

Monday 1 April 2013

That Pile of Feathers



Ever found a pile of bird's feathers below a shrub, next to your shed, or in some other concealed location in your backyard? Wondered how they got there? Here's a little story which might explain why...

Eating breakfast outside on the verandah this morning was a great way to start the day, and a hive of bird activity made a delightful scene in front of us. New Holland Honeyeater alarms sounded raucously from some bushes at the edge of our block, which drew my attention and had me sneaking over to investigate. There were about four honeyeaters persistently chattering, and as I reached the fence, two magpies dived down and clapped their beaks in aggression. I thought maybe a cat was sitting behind one of the shrubs. Just as I was about to climb over the fence to get closer, I saw a pair of piercing yellow eyes looking back at me. I froze. The eyes belonged to a Collared Sparrowhawk (Accipiter cirrocephalus).



Known as 'Killingilee' in the Noongar Aboriginal language, this small but powerful bird of prey (raptor) is a very swift hunter. The individual in front of me, which I suspected by its larger size to be a female, had killed a Bronzewing Pigeon (Phaps chalcoptera)! It remained perched on its kill for long enough to allow me to grab my camera, and return to take a picture of it. I waited several minutes and was very pleased when it resumed normal behaviour, allowing me to record this at close range. The sparrowhawk plucked many of the pigeon's breast feathers off before starting to eat its kill by tearing small chunks from its body. I watched in amazement, pinching myself that although partly obscured by shrubbery, the bird was still easily visible enough to capture on film.

Sparrowhawks (and goshawks) like to find a concealed spot to kill and pluck their prey.
Small pieces of meat are visible on this Sparrowhawk's beak as she feeds quickly.


It fed for several more minutes, plucking out some of the pigeon's larger flight and tail feathers, then a sudden movement nearby caused it to leap into the air and fly away quickly, carry its meal with it. What amazing luck to see such an unusual event happen right in front of me!

I inspected the pile of Bronzewing feathers, and noticed (as I have done with the many raptor kills I've seen before) that the pile consisted of mostly smaller body feathers and a few larger ones from the wings and tail. It was a good opportunity to observe the differences between a raptor kill and that of a mammal like a Fox or Cat.

  • To expose the meat and help them feed easily, raptors take care to pluck most of the finer feathers, which Foxes and Cats may not bother doing.
  • Having a hooked bill, raptors are able to pluck feathers neatly, leaving them intact. Foxes and Cats usually chew feathers in half, so you will find the longer ones snapped or sheared at the edges.
  • Raptors often feed by standing in the one spot, and unless the wind blows them around, features remain in a neat pile. Mammal predators often drag or wrench their food around in many directions, making a bigger mess.
  • Small pieces of meat and internal organs (such as the crop and stomach in the above Bronzewing) are sometimes left behind by raptors, as a product of their more delicate feeding method.

Next time you find a pile of feathers, take careful note of where they are and what they look like - you might even be able to reassemble an interesting story like mine!

9 comments:

  1. Thanks for answering my questions about the pile of feathers in my yard

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  2. My dog wanted out in my front yard yesterday late afternoon. As we turned the corner to the side of my house by my privacy fence there was what looked like a small hawk. It took straight at us. All around it were a large amount of feathers. The hawk flew away. After I put the dog up I went back out and looked at the feathers. They were all in excellent condition and looked like they had been pulled out one at a time. Hundreds of tiny feathers lay there with the large feathers. It must have been a fairly good size bird. I didn't dig around in the feathers but only saw a little red at the end of one. I didn't see any meat but maybe under the feathers. I have seen a hawk up on a tall street light before in the neighborhood. Very good information you gave here.

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  3. Thank you! Very informative! I have a huge field where I live and I’m constantly finding areas with pluck feathers. I wondering if it’s the cats doing it or hawks. I would love to document it.

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  4. Wow this I found at my front door

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  5. Just this morning, after my normal every other day routine of shooting down the bird feeding area of my backyard w/the water hose & putting out fresh seed, water & peanuts for the birds & squirrels, I was making an appointment on my phone…didn’t realize what took place in front of me. After hanging up, I looked up & saw a Hawk right on my fresh sod tearing off feathers & eating one of my precious little wild birds…I captured it on video & even as it flew away, first dropping the bald bird & quickly landing on it & securely grabbing it before flying off. I could tell the bird was already deceased thank goodness! But very heartbreaking. Yes the hawk needs to eat too & feed her babies so….circle of life I suppose. When I went to investigate, I opened my screen patio door & at that moment, from behind my stand up dust bin, a little black raven flew out like a bullet & flew over my neighbors house. Poor little thing was hiding behind the dustbin for a good ten minutes as the hawk tore off the birds feathers. Now there’s a pile of black & grey feathers…just feathers no flesh. Not the first time I’ve witnessed this scene. Wondering if I should close the shop down & stop feeling these animals entirely??? I feel guilty like I’ve set up a hawk feeding oasis!!! :*( Any advice?

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  6. The past few days I have found a huge amount of feathers, both larger & small. The same exposed area of my yard. I heard nothing. Would you say hawk, racoon or cat to leave such a massive amount if feathers, just a few days apart.

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  7. Saw a Sparrowhawk eating something at the end of my garden. When it flew off I examined the crime scene. No blood or organs, and only a smallish scattering of small grey feathers. A few medium sized pigeon-type feathers, some soft white down. And the magpies were going crazy in the trees above. Any ideas what it killed ?

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  8. Thank you so much for the information. This has happened in our yard a couple times and I was baffled what was doing this.

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  9. I thought our cat had taken a magpie, but the few feathers left is unlike a cat kill. Maybe we have a hawk or owl nearby. Yes!

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