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This was a tough nut to crack, but we did it. We had always assumed that most birds migrate South for the winter and eventually pick out a lovely tropical spot to while away their autumn years. As it turns out, that's not exactly true. To find the answer to your question, we browsed birdwatching sites, skimmed through ornithology resources, and even staked out some birding Webcams, but with no luck. Finally, throwing subtlety to the wind, we searched on your exact question, "Where do birds go to die?" and came up with a nice result -- a fellow syndicated advice columnist. The archive of Ask Dr. Fox* offers a simple explanation of avian expiration: "Birds, like many other creatures, will seek secluded, out-of-the
way places when they're feeling sick. Sometimes, rest and seclusion help them heal. But if they die, very often they won't be found in their hideouts. Of course, in nature, things work in a strange tandem. Predators, like cats and foxes, can usually seek out these hideouts for prey. And often, these predators will take the prey back to feed their young, which is why it's so rare to find the remains of dead birds." Yeah. We knew that. Exactly. What he said.
* Sorry, that column is no longer in the Ask Dr. Fox archive.
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