Predated.

I was told about dead bird at the side of the road so I thought I would check it out. You could see there were plenty of feathers on the side of the road so a good indication that it had been plucked. The carcass was just off the road on a mound and it was minus it's head and the body had been eaten so it looks like it was predated by a bird of prey.

There are probably a few different scenarios as to why this bird was predated  - it may have been injured by a car or it could have been an old bird but it's all part of life in the wild. A fine set of talons for catching mice and voles when it was alive.