I actually find bits of dead bird fairly frequently, but dead birds certainly
don't last long (except for some feathers). And remember that birds are a lot
smaller than they look - there's not that much body to decompose.

Birds which die of illness, starvation, or cold probably die hidden in the
underbrush, on tree branches, inside tree cavities, etc. We probably don't
see them much. Birds which are caught by a predator tend to be eaten almost
immediately. You may find a pile of feathers, some scat with feathers, or a
pellet with feathers and bones.

Birds which die from collisions with cars, windows, etc. can sometimes be
found. However, there are a lot of critters who love to eat dead birds -
beetles, crows, yellow-jackets, gulls, etc. You'd be amazed at how quicky
yellow-jackets can reduce a dead bird to a feathered skeleton.

If you keep your eyes open though, you can often spot little bits that remain.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland WA
== hummer at isomedia.com