Kurtis,
You asked for comments on what could have preyed upon the Rainbow lorikeet
you found.
From your description of the 'scene' it sounds like a kill made by a bird of
prey rather than a mammal. I would consider something like a falcon, which
kills its prey by disarticulating the cervical vertebra (i.e. snapping the
neck), which may explain why the head was left behind and separated from the
body. The pile of feathers indicates plucking by the predator. Falcons and
other birds of prey are also very good at picking bones clean of tissue.
Don't be surprised by the lack of a beak with the skull. Parrots lack
complete fusion between the beak and cranium (i.e. between the nasal and
frontal bones of the skull) so the beak isn't properly joined to the rest of
the skull. Why the beak wasn't with the pile of feathers and skull I don't
know, it would seem unlikely the bird flew away with it, but perhaps it was
still attached to the body by skin.
Anyway, I hope this gives you some more to think about and I hope others on
the list will offer their opinions.
Cheers, Dean
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