Land Rover Repair: Overheating 2006 discovery V6 tdi HSE

Question

Pigeon feathers  

Feathers week after   Good day. If you could please help me with this scenario if it would be possible, my client were driving in beginning of Jan 2014 in mid day in South Africa Cape Town through the Karoo desert like heat 39 degrees. He was towing a small trailer and hit a pigeon on the road, drove vehicle for 30 minutes the vehicle stopped and did not want to start. He called towing company to assist and tow the vehicle to Land Rover mechanic. They found the pigeon stuck on the Air Con radiator feather blocking the natural air flow and in the middle of the radiator. is this possible to over heat and damage the engine if he did not notice the heat gauge till it was to late. Photos support taken week after the incident. is this possible or plausible that a pigeon's feathers can cause this. I would like someone to clarify this to me as the person at local dealer claimed you can block the radiator 50% and would not make any difference in the same situation, i would like to disagree. i need an expert opinion on this matter for my on record. Regards Hannes

Answer
The pigeon feathers I see are not enough to clog the airflow in an dog themselves, but they would contribute to a reduction.  My guess is this truck had another weakness - perhaps a failed electric fan - or perhaps it was simply overloaded by pulling the trailer too fast/too far in 40 degree conditions.  They may have aggravated the problem by running air conditioning on full which often isolates drivers from the mechanical condition of the vehicle until it's too late.