A dead starling hanging from an electrical wire by its claws

[aiantony]

We were leading a DFO trip to the raptor alley west of DIA, when we came upon a curious sight. We saw a blob hanging from a wire, and when we looked carefully with binoculars it was a bird hanging by its locked claws!

It seems to be a starling with its bright yellow pointed bill facing right. Is that clotted blood at the back of its head?

We've never seen such a thing, and wondered how it had died. 

It couldn't have been electrocuted, as it would have needed to touch another wire or the ground. 

If it had been predated upon by a raptor, say, it would have been taken away to be eaten on a perch. There was no other wire close by.

Has anyone seen anything like this and does anyone have any reasonable explanation for this. 

Google AI suggested avian ‘flu as a possibility. 

Ajit and Liza Antony

Central Park, Denver.

Sent from my Galaxy

[greg.le...@protonmail.com]

Some falcons, peregrines included, attack by hitting prey in the back of the head with balled up talons; a blunt force trauma death.  Birds' feet clasp when in a relaxed position, so a sudden death with feet still clasped afterwards makes sense.  

Despite the marvels of AI, it's quite often not logical.  I've read of no HPAI (avian influenza) symptoms that include bleeding from the skull, so I'm not sure why it would suggest that.  

Greg Levandoski

Longmont, CO

[Preston Sowell]

This could also be from a kid with a pellet gun. I witnessed this happen with a Starling when I was a boy.

Preston

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Preston Sowell
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[Ajit Antony]

You may be on the right track Preston. The red stuff on the back of its head could be blood from a pellet shot.

I found this on the internet:

Automatic Perching Reflex: Birds have a "tendon locking mechanism." When they land, the weight of their body causes tendons in their legs to pull their toes shut around the perch. This grip is passive and automatic, meaning if a bird dies suddenly while perching (e.g., from a heart attack or a lightning strike), its feet may remain locked onto the wire even after death.

External Trauma: Recent studies have found that a significant number of birds found dead near power lines-up to 66% in some areas--were actually victims of illegal shooting rather than electrical accidents. A bird shot while perching might have its feet "lock" onto the wire as it expires, leaving it hanging.

I also found a normal identical image to the one I posted except for what looked like blood on the back of its head, on a Facebook post by someone from Weld county who has seen the same bird with its talons locked on a wire for the past 3 years!

Starling Control Measures: Weld County, Colorado, has seen incidents involving the use of USDA-approved pesticides (such as DRC-1339) to manage starling populations at feedlots. While these chemicals are designed to kill, the birds may be found days later and sometimes die on-site, potentially leading to unusual, isolated scenes.

To Greg:

My query to Google AI was not a photograph, it was a description of a "dead starling hanging by its talons from a wire."

So it would not have considered the possibility of blood on the back of its head when the possibility of avian flu was suggested.

Ajit Antony

Central Park, Denver

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[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

My bet would be the starling died in its sleep of who-knows-what, clamped on the wire as birds do and then something like a hawk took a fly-by swipe.

I have seen a number of birds hanging from wires like this.  Humans die in their sleep. Why not birds?

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins

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From: cob...@googlegroups.com <cob...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Ajit Antony <aiant...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2026 8:05:58 PM
To: Preston Sowell <preston...@gmail.com>
Cc: COBIRDS <cob...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [cobirds] A dead starling hanging from an electrical wire by its claws

 

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[Buzz]

Interesting. Logical. Occam's Razor

Thanks David.

Sent from the all new Aol app for iOS

Buzz Schaumberg 

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