There are over 150 million birds in the UK flying, swimming, and hopping all around us, and theyre all very much alive.
Although you might see a pile of feathers in the garden after an unfortunate encounter with a cat or a sparrowhawk, or the remains of a bird thats been hit by a car, its very rare to see a dead bird on the ground. The same though could be said of any wild animal that lives close by humans. There are millions of mice and rats all around us, but its rare to see a dead rodent, and yet its something we rarely question. Perhaps were not as curious about these creatures as we dont often see them when theyre alive. Birds, on the other hand, are so conspicuous that many of us question why we dont see many dead birds.
Birds as a rule, dont tend to drop dead when theyre mid-flight or perched on a branch. If they did, we would be in all sorts of trouble. Just like humans, if a bird dies of natural causes, before it dies, it will either be sick, injured, or old, so will be moving about less and perhaps not flying at all.
When a bird is feeling unwell it will feel vulnerable and will withdraw to a quiet area that offers it some protection. If youve ever found a sick bird in your garden, the chances are it was hiding somewhere under or near a shrub or a bush. If a bird was too unwell to get out of harms way before it died naturally then it was probably taken by a predator which would have disposed of most of the body.
In fact, very few birds die of old age in the wild. They are a vital part of the food chain, eating insects, fish, amphibians, and smaller birds, and they in turn are preyed upon by larger birds and mammals. This is why they produce such large numbers of offspring and why they begin breeding at such an early age. Most British garden birds, for example, are sexually mature at just one year, but will only live for a year or two more in the wild. When kept in captivity the same species will live much longer.
Once dead, a bird decomposes fairly quickly. Because they need to be as light as possible to fly, their bones are hollow, they carry very little fat, and they have air sacs distributed throughout their skeleton which aid respiration. All of this makes a bird very fragile. It wont take long for natural decomposition to occur through flies, insects, and bacteria, and a dead bird can decay in just 2 or 3 days.
Scavengers such as rats, foxes, and carrion eating birds will also help dispose of a birds body not long after it has died. They will eat almost everything including the bones, which are a good source of calcium, and the feathers that are left will soon blow away and rot.
Yesterday, I noticed a dead crow in a bush, which made me stop and think. This was the first bird I had seen in my 34 years of life that appeared to have passed away naturally rather than due to an accident.
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Actually, very few birds in the wild pass away from old age. They are an essential component of the food chain because they consume fish, amphibians, insects, and smaller birds, which are then eaten by larger birds and mammals. This explains why they have so many children and why they start breeding at such a young age. For instance, the majority of garden birds in Britain reach sexual maturity at the age of one year, but they only have a year or two more of wild life left. The same species will live a lot longer in captivity.
In the United Kingdom, there are more than 150 million living birds that are constantly flying, swimming, and hopping around.
Generally speaking, birds do not usually die while in midair or perched on a branch. We would be in serious trouble if they did. Similar to humans, a bird that dies from natural causes will, prior to passing away, likely be ill, injured, or elderly, which will cause it to move less and possibly not fly at all.
A sick bird will withdraw to a peaceful place that provides some protection because it feels exposed. If you have ever discovered a sick bird in your garden, it was most likely hiding beneath or close to a bush or shrub. A predator would have likely taken the bird if it was too sick to flee before it passed away naturally, in which case the majority of the body would have been disposed of.
Soon after a bird dies, scavengers like rats, foxes, and carrion-eating birds will assist in disposing of its remains. The bones are a good source of calcium, and they will eat almost everything. The feathers that are left will soon blow away and rot.
FAQ
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