Sinister moment turkeys perform 'death dance' around a dead cat that was run over by a car [tr]

UK Daily Mail ^ | March 3, 2017 | Cameron Phelps

[C19fan]

If there is one video that is sure to give you nightmares, then this is it.

A man in Boston has filmed a rafter of turkeys circling a dead cat.

Jonathan Davis uploaded the creepy video to Twitter on Friday and it's quickly gone viral.

[C19fan]

If Nathaniel Hawthorn was still around he could probably write a nice short story about this.

[Uncle Miltie]

Crows hold funerals.

[Uncle Miltie]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3258227/The-mystery-crow-funerals-solved-Researchers-say-birds-trying-learn-potential-dangers-lives-remember-threats-years.html

[trisham]

We often have those wild turkeys in our yard. I’ve never seen that movement, but I have seen the males walk around slowly doing a full display for the females:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5V3hDfgxA

[PGR88]

Headline: Humans Pictured Circling Dead Turkey in Bizarre Ritual...

[mykroar]

“It was like, they were organized....”

[Uncle Miltie]

http://www.cracked.com/article_19042_6-terrifying-ways-crows-are-way-smarter-than-you-think.html

[Dacula]

They were conducting a cat scan.

[Uncle Miltie]

Perhaps they eat it to cure what ails them:

Cat-a-tonic.

[JoeProBono]

[redfreedom]

I suspect this circling could be some sort of defense mechanism. It is quite common for other bird types join together to attack hawks, and they could be checking the cat out to see if it is worthy of being attacked.

I once watched a feral cat stalk a rabbit, both about the same size. A couple hours later I found the cat having lunch on the rabbit.

For sure a cat can and will easily kill a baby turkey.

My experience in the woods is that a cat will attack just about anything. If they can sink their teeth into a prey and mobilize it, it’s done.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

Ding, Dong, the witch is dead...

[Maceman]

Turkeys is da craziest peoples.

I’ve been living in Massachusetts for decades and never saw any wild turkeys until a few years ago. Then, all of a sudden, so it seems, they started showing up everywhere.

Now they’re all over the place. They’re fun to watch, and I enjoy looking at them, but they can be a litte disruptive on the roads, where they congregate in groups and take their sweet time getting out of the way.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

I suspect this circling could be some sort of defense mechanism. It is quite common for other bird types join together to attack hawks, and they could be checking the cat out to see if it is worthy of being attacked.

That sounds right - they're probably circling what they recognize to be a predator, to mob it as birds sometimes do to predators.

[Night Hides Not]

I look forward to a similar video of turkeys doing a “death dance” around the Clinton compound in Chappaqua.

[central_va]

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

An internet oldie but goodie;

http://www.rustywalrus.com/images/lg/55.jpg

[Comment Not Approved]

Very hard to hit. They have a knack for moving out of the way at the last second.

[Comment Not Approved]

Around here, Montana, baby turkeys are food for young mountain lions.

[cld51860]

LOL!!