What Killed a Blackbird?

[Bonefish Blues]

OK wildlife sleuths, here's one. For sake of decency I'll not include a picture, but I've just found an ex blackbird outside.

It was lying on its back and had been quite neatly eaten in that the breast was gone and not much else. The internal organs seemed largely intact, and the carcass seemed quite clean and unchewed. Plenty of feathers around too.

I'm thinking a sparrowhawk kill perhaps?

[Jasandjules]

Around here the Sparrow hawks pretty much only eat the heads of the pigeons they nail.

[A57 HSV]

What ate it, might not be what killed it.

[Bonefish Blues]

Do they take carrion then? Didn't know that.

[rosie11]

My money is on a sparrow hawk, we get them most days zooming around our feeders.

[stevensdrs]

Sparrowhawk. Plucks the breast feathers off and eats the breast meat.

[Wheat]

Definitely a sparrowhawk.

Not sure if they do take carrion but I suppose they would if they were desperate. Not at this time of year though when there's plenty of living food about to catch.