Injury to Gouldian - what kind of creature?

[werty]

jesus, looks like something pulled the whole leg straight off

could be a butcher ripping it straight through the wire

can you post a pic of your aviary?

[Finchy]

You can see some old pictures and videos of the aviary here: http://www.finchstuff.com/aviaries.aspx
(It's basically the same now, but with more weather covering and greenery around it.)

The birds were both found about 60cm in from the front wire, toward the left.

[Shane Gowland]

Sorry for your loss. Especially of such a stunning bird.

Do your finches ever hang upside-down on the uncovered section of your aviary roof?

[Finchy]

Thanks Shane. Not the Gouldians, no. The Parrot Finches occasionally do. It always seems to be the Gouldians who come a cropper, though they are the most sedate. That's my third male in two months dead from some kind of attack injury.

This is the first year it's happened in this aviary, despite lots of wild birds around every year. The only change has been a new cat next door, so I still have some suspicions there.

[bob21358]

I had a similar event happen to me over successive "nights" when I had some birds in a suspended aviary. For the life of me I could not work it how it happened. Because of the positioning of the aviaries I pretty much ruled out butcher birds (plus butcher birds are pretty rare here). Also I believe it happened overnight but could be early morning. I suspect rats (yes they will climb suspended aviaries), but only because I can't think of anything else.

Not sure what you can do - maybe get some anti bird net from Bunnings and drape over your aviaries and secure the bottom. I know its not a good long term solution but will give you time to think of a better solution.

[Finchy]

I have experienced deaths from ground-dwelling creatures in the past (rats, I think) and the critical thing is they actually ate the birds. Remnants could be found of consumed birdies (e.g. A scalp from my most valuable Gouldian, and wing pieces from my stunning pied RFPFs ).

In this case, like the last, one leg is gone but the rest of the plump edible bird is still lying there. My third recent case was a single, small, neat puncture wound to the scull - but again, the bird was left intact for me to find.

So it must be a creature on the outside, that can grab or jab, but cannot actually get in to finish its meal.

[vettepilot_6]

I have found butcher birds tend to attack from one side of aviary to the other winding the inmates into a frenzy... putting in dense shrubbery or partition walls for finches to be able to hide behind from prying eyes/beaks has stopped all attacks on mine..

[matcho]

My take on this is:

It is a butcherbird, have them here and had similar things happen.They are very smart, will scare the birds into an absolute frenzy until they fly onto the wire and then grab what they can, rip off legs, heads, wings etc. When that doesn't work they just sit on the wire ,motionless and wait for the birds to come to them. What I found was not have any perches close to the wire, because a butcherbird will fly in sit quiet on the wire and somehow mezmerise your birds by sitting still and giving them the steely eye. They are good at what they do. Because of the season (winter) I have perspex overnight for warmth and no cold breezes. Place soaked seed about 4 ish in the afternoon and do not remove the shade and replace seed until about 730/8am. Have watched at dawn and seen the butcherbirds and noisy miners coming in looking for a feed and ascerting authority. After one or two bounces off the clear perspex they lose interest. I have found that they do return a few hours later, but I leave the western side perspex on, they fly front to the side to get the birds really upset and in a frenzy, hit the perspex, doesn't work for them. My birds know the call of both butcherbirds and noisy miners and just sit back and give them the (bird) finger.

Vettepilot is spot on, flying from one side to the other causes all the damage.

Finchy,

You might find that you have one of this years young that is trying to find new territory and decided this is home. When young they are very endearing and fearless, had one until about 4 weeks ago, would take the mealies from the hand. Mum and dad pissesd it off out their range shortly after.

Good luck

Ken

[Tiaris]

Where it is just a puncture wound or leg missing it sounds like butcherbird attack but where there is just little bits (skull, wing tips) from fully eaten birds this sounds very much like antechinus attack (small carnivorous marsupial). I have had them get to birds in a cabinet in my shed & only left wing flights & feet. They go for brains, heart & liver first. Very agile and aggressive little predator.