Bird of prey
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
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 Australasian Osprey
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Birds of prey (also called raptors) are birds that mainly use their claws (called talons) to hunt for food. They cannot be classified into one natural family or group. The behaviour showed multiple times in different groups. This is known as convergent evolution.
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[change] Different groups
Those bird of prey that are active during the day (diurnal) are classified as follows (All: Falconiformes)
- Accipitridae: Hawks, Eagles, Buzzards, Harriers, Kites and Old World vultures
- Pandionidae: Osprey (sometimes classified as subfamily Pandioninae of the previous family)
- Sagittariidae: Secretary-bird
- Falconidae: Falcons and Caracaras
Nocturnal birds of prey - the owls - are classified separately, considered to be members of two families of the order Strigiformes:
- Strigidae (typical owls)
- Tytonidae (barn and bay owls)
The New World vultures are usually also regarded as birds of prey, although they may not be closely related to the other groups.
[change] Raptor names
- Eagles are large birds with long, broad wings and massive legs. Booted eagles have feathered legs and build large stick nests.
- Kites have long wings and weak legs. They spend much of their time soaring. They will take live prey but mostly feed on carrion.
- Falcons are small to medium sized birds of prey with long pointed wings. Unlike most other raptors, they belong to the Falconidae rather than the Accipitridae. Many are particularly swift flyers. Instead of building their own nests, falcons appropriate old nests of other birds but sometimes they lay their eggs on cliff ledges or in tree hollows.
- Owls are variable-sized nocturnal hunting birds. They fly soundlessly and have very acute senses of hearing and sight.
- Harriers are large, slender hawk-like birds with long tails and long thin legs. Most hunt by gliding and circling low over grasslands and marshes on their long broad wings.
- Hawks are medium-sized birds of prey that usually belong to the genus Accipiter (but see below). They are mainly woodland birds that hunt by sudden dashes from a concealed perch. They usually have long tails.
- Buzzards are raptors with a robust body and broad wings, or, alternatively, any bird of the genus Buteo (also commonly known as Hawks in North America).
- Vultures are carrion-eating raptors, found in both the Old and New World. They usually have heads which are bare of feathers.
[change] Gallery
 A Griphon Vulture, an Old World Vulture |
 A Secretary bird |
 A brown falcon, a kind of Falcon |
 A Mountain Cacara |
 Eastern Screech owl, a true owl |
 The Barn owl |
 The Andean Condor is one of the largest birds able to fly in the world. It is a New World Vulture. |
 Northern Goshawk, a kind of hawk |
 A Snail Kite, a kind of kite |
Northern Harrier photo.jpg
Northern harrier, a kind of harrier |
[change] Other websites
- Explore Birds of Prey with The Peregrine Fund
- Birds of prey videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Helydon Show Dogs and Birds of Prey
- Bird of Prey Pictures
- Global Raptor Information Network
