Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask but I couldn’t find the skull identifying community.
Found in Western US
Bird
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I think I can provide the detail OP is looking for.
It is a Dead bird
Think its a raptor of some sort?
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Would they assume OP killed the bird, or is it illegal to pick up the skull? (Are the bones beneficial to other organisms?)
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Probably illegal in US, much like hawk feathers etc
Even if OP is a teacher they probably need a state permit to possess bones from native birds.
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I’m not an expert but I believe what looks like the eye socket at first glance is actually the nasal fenestra or whatever name the nose opening has. It’s a fragment without a beak or eye sockets.
I agree, the “beak” would be oriented wrong if the opening is an eye socket. If the “beak” is vertical then the eye socket would be a vertical hole as well.
Rooster? Chicken?
I think it’s a fish. To check, we count the number of bones in the skull.
I hoped for an answer like from him. This skull looks especially confusing because i don’t see where the eyes would be.