Bird Foot ID help needed

[Fluxus]

I found this leg and foot whilst out and about this morning. It had been freshly stripped and as there was no disturbance at all on the ground around, I guess something must have dropped it from the air or Larch above. I'm useless at birds dead or alive - does anyone have any idea what it belonged to and what may have had it for breakfast?




thanks
Flux

 

[Buckshot]

Any idea of feathers? Colours etc.
It's about the size of a small pheasant and the same sort of colouring on the foot I think. Where abouts are you based - besides heaven !
In terms of what could have eaten it, pretty much anthing that can carry that leg really. It may have died through natural causes and then been scavenged for instance.

Cheers

Mark

 

[Fenlander]

The even length of the toes suggests a perching bird, as the hind toe of a ground dwelling bird such as a Pheasant, would be significantly shorter.

 

[Wavey Davey]

Woodpigeon I reckon.

Wavey.

 

[Fluxus]

interesting ideas - I'd never thought about the ways birds perched before. Woodpigeon is about the only call I can recognise and not surprisingly there are plenty about. Never having looked at birds feet before I was surprised by the padded nature and the length of the claws / talons / nails. It makes the evolutionary ladder seem all the shorter.
More thoughts on bird physiology / tracks and signs welcome...

 

[Wavey Davey]

Never having looked at birds feet before I was surprised by the padded nature and the length of the claws / talons / nails. It makes the evolutionary ladder seem all the shorter.

I'm reading Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything at the moment and I'm on dinosaurs presently. If you forget about the scale it's easy to imagine that leg belonging to a dinosaur............Or am I losing the plot....?

Wavey.

 

[Fluxus]

If you forget about the scale it's easy to imagine that leg belonging to a dinosaur............Or am I losing the plot....?

Wavey.

Far from it - I reckon for me its just starting to come together.

 

[Galemys]

The even length of the toes suggests a perching bird, as the hind toe of a ground dwelling bird such as a Pheasant, would be significantly shorter.

A pheasant's foot would also have a spur above the hind toe, at the site of the break.

 

[FeralSheryl]

It does certainly look like a perching bird's foot. Sorry I can't be more specific.
The foot type appears to me to be Anisodactyl (3 toes face forward and 1 faces back)

Take a wee look at the following Ornithology web page on Characters of the Feet

 

[JonathanD]

Looks very much like a member of the Crow family belonging to a young adult just fledged. Definately not a pigeon, it is far too robust for that.

 

[mammy_nun]

I reckon it's a grey heron foot. It's quite a long leg and a big foot. Is there a heronry in the woodland you were walking through? Herons have long legs for wading and a perching foot as they roost in treetops. http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2005/01/11/196553/Grey_Heron_dispute.jpg