A Suspicious Death

[Penn Gwynne <>]

If you can? check the beak both inside and out for an unusual appearance? chemical spraying nearby perhaps? maybe wise to wear thin rubber gloves.

Are the eyes glazed or of a deep smokey appearance?

John A. Gamblin

Dicksons <> wrote:

Just a while ago I was witness to the "murder" of a male Magpie Lark & I'm struggling to establish the cause of death.

I was fixing my bike in the backyard when down the back, near the edge of the bushes the deceased began rolling over & over with wings flailing. At first I thought he was in a tussel with a large grasshopper or similar prey item but after about 20 seconds he stopped moving & was dead on his back (Where do you check for a bird's pulse?). Within 5 MINUTES ants had arrived to begin dismembering him, starting at the eyes.

What type of ants were they?

Trouble is I didn't see any other animal on the scene. Only two Great Bowerbirds were seen hanging around afterwards - are they capable of this - I suppose they could've been hard to see in the shadows, particularly with all that dazzling black & white all over the place. The only other possibility I can think of is a snake, although it would actually eat the bird. The Magpie Lark didn't loose any feathers. What else could it be a heart attack, a seizure? Investigations are continuing, all leads will be appreciated.

Tim Dickson

Townsville 

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