Your Ultimate Guide to Popular Birds of Prey
Birds of prey are large, powerful birds that hunt other animals or prey for food using primarily their large talons, rather than their beaks. These are huge birds with great vision and their flying abilities are exceptional. They are also called as raptors. Their talons and beaks are larger and sharper than most birds, perfect for tearing at animal flesh. Female raptors are larger than their male counterparts. If you want to know more about the most popular birds of prey, here is a list and a brief description of each bird.
Eagles
These are probably the most popular raptors on the list. They are large and very powerful birds. They live in very tall trees, usually no shorter than 75 feet. And they build their nests with sticks. They take a long time, about six weeks, to build their nests. Their wings stand out for their extraordinary size, the main reason why eagles can hover in the air for a long time without flapping their wings. These birds generally lay two eggs. However, the more dominant chick, usually female, kills her younger and weaker brother.
hawks
These are small to medium sized birds of prey and are known for their speed of flight. Some species can fly up to 200 miles per hour. Their wings are sharp and they do not build their cattle nests. Today, people use the term ‘falconry’ to refer to a practice that uses trained raptors for hunting.
falcons
The size of the hawks is similar to that of the falcons. They hunt prey by flying slowly and sometimes walking. Like their larger cousins the eagles, falcons also build stick nests. But they lay more eggs than eagles, usually 6 or more eggs.
kites
These are not as powerful and aggressive as the other birds on the list. They only feed on insects, snails and small animals. They are also scavengers because they eat garbage and dead animals.
Fishing eagle
This family has one species and they live near water. They look for food in the body of water. They can float above the water and dive when they find the right moment to attack and catch the prey.
owls
These are nocturnal birds of prey. They have forward-facing eyes and a disk-shaped face that they use to detect sounds at night. Their feathers are soft, which makes them almost silent when they fly.
vultures
These are popular scavengers that feed on the bodies of dead animals. Their heads are bald, which keeps them clean whenever they stick their heads into the meat of dead animals to eat.
