I seriously doubt that's the work of vultures, they aren't really predators. The way your wife describes it "large and dark colored" - it could be the work of an immature eagle. Tiz the season, eagles are all over the place right now.
The fact that it lifted the hen from the ground and flew with it lends credibility to what you suggest. I don't know if a buzzard can grasp like that.
If she hadn't said it was black, I would have guessed a Mexican vulture. But, they look more like a hawk with some distinctive color.
Being black, I would guess a Black buzzard (vulture). They are very near the size of a Turkey buzzard and very aggressive, especially in groups. New-born calves don't stand a chance. Neither do little bitty dogs that live in the country.
Being black, I would guess a Black buzzard (vulture). They are very near the size of a Turkey buzzard and very aggressive, especially in groups. New-born calves don't stand a chance. Neither do little bitty dogs that live in the country.
Be careful, I think one of the buzzards defenses is projectile vomiting. Lol
pterodactyl. They are very common in Bixby and Tulsa, reports of one in Claremore have also been heard. IJS
A couple of years ago I caught a young injured one and kept it in a spare chicken house for a few weeks, hoping its wing would heal. I don't know what species of buzzard it was. Although it would eat table scraps, it never would get tamed. It would projectile vomit and bite viciously. It regained its strength, but not the ability to fly, and eventually I just began leaving the door to the chicken house open so it could get exercise. It could run very, very fast. One day it managed to fly/jump over the chicken wire and my son and I chased it on foot for about 1/2 a mile and it easily outpaced my teenaged son. It got into a real thick blackberry bramble and we couldn't get in there. This was near a large pond, so I figured it could probably do just fine living like a road runner.
Very interesting story. Ive seen a few up close, some of the ugliest critters I've ever seen.
That last sentence has my wife wondering what the hell I'm laughing about.
I seen some huge huge crows near sageeyah(sp) today just sitting on the side of the road. They were bigger then any crows i've seen before.
Since only my Plymouth barred rocks and Jersey black giants remain, I speculate that the bird of prey doing this will start getting them next. These are much larger birds and have been left alone so far. My chicken yard is 1/2 acre in size and fenced in with chicken wire, so it's impractical to try to use overhead netting. I have never tolerated a mean rooster - one who would attack me. But all of that is about to change now. I need some of these aggressive, bold, attack roosters who will go after anything that enters the chicken yard...
Edit: Will a game rooster attack a large bird of prey?
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