| Hi all,
A friend has been in touch recently upset at a spate of Crimson Rosella deaths in her back garden (in Weetangera). They found the remains of a total of seven birds in the space of a week, plus another one the other day and a Crested Pigeon today. The only case where they saw a possible culprit was my friend's husband, who, having observed two rosellas happily perched in a tree, returned a few minutes later to find one of the rosellas dead on the ground with an A. Raven pecking at the body. I've attached a photo that shows one of the bodies, with what looks like a puncture wound in the abdomen. It is just possible that something else killed the rosella and a passing raven just happened to arrive at that moment, but that seems to be a bit of a stretch given that it would've all happened in the space of just a couple of minutes. My friend also described another victim that was largely intact other than having its skull emptied. All these events have taken place in the same sheltered corner of their garden.
However, she sent me another photo today (also attached) of a Crested Pigeon that could easily have been taken by a cat or raptor, given that the entire torso has gone.
So my question is, how likely is it that the raven is the culprit, at least in some of the cases? Do ravens routinely attack and kill other birds the size of a rosella? And would a raven eat the entire torso of a victim? My friend is somewhat distressed by all of this and would appreciate any suggestions as to how to prevent further deaths in her garden. It does seem that she's getting rather more than her fair share.
Thanks, John
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