In the early afternoon of 8 December 1984, we observed a Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) feeding on the carcass of an American Coot (Fulica americana) along the shore of a marsh at Chula Vista, San Diego County, California.
For about 2.5 minutes, the shrike tore off and swallowed at least a dozen pieces of meat before flying away. After waiting 30 minutes for the shrike to return, we examined the carcass. The head of the coot was missing; the shrike had been feeding on the blood-clotted meat in the neck area.