Re: bird cleaning methods to get only breast and leg meat.

I think in a survival situation you might want to pluck and gut birds to cook them whole, primarily for the fat associated with skin. The fat is high energy food. For the same reson you might want to cook by stewing or by indirect heat to allow fat drippings to be collected, rather than direct roasting over heat.

Also, the liver and other organs of some birds may be sources of mineral and other trace elements beneficial to long-term health.

Not to mention the survival uses of feathers, quills, bones, and other portions of the bird carcass.