Birds of prey

1.

2.

3.

Types of birds
bird of prey - хищная
[bɜːd ɒv preɪ]
птица
osprey - скопа
[ˈɒsprɪ]
eagle - орел
[iːgl]

4.

hawk - ястреб
[hɔːk]
harrier - лунь
[ˈhærɪə]
vulture - гриф
[ˈvʌlʧə]

5.

owl - сова
[aʊl]
polar owl - полярная
[ˈpəʊlə aʊl]
сова
eagle owl - филин
[iːgl aʊl]

6.

owl - сыч
[aʊl]
the short-toed eagle -
[ðiː ʃɔːt-təʊd iːgl]
змееяд
the kite - коршун
[ðiː kaɪt]

7.

lammergeyer -
[ˈlæməgaɪə]
ягнятник
honey buzzard - осоед
[ˈhʌnɪ ˈbʌzəd]
buzzard - канюк
[ˈbʌzəd]

8.

sea eagle - орлан
[siː iːgl]
goshawk - тетеревятник [ˈgɒshɔːk]
falcon - сокол
[ˈfɔːlkən]

9.

secretary bird -
[ˈsɛkrətɛrɪ bɜːd]
секретарь
vulture - стервятник
[ˈvʌlʧə]
the barn owl - сипуха
[ðiː bɑːn aʊl]

10.

Bird of prey

11.

Birds of prey, also known as raptors, include species of bird that primarily hunt and feed on
vertebrates that are large relative to the hunter. Additionally, they have keen eyesight for
detecting food at a distance or during flight, strong feet equipped with talons for grasping or
killing prey, and powerful, curved beaks for tearing flesh. The term raptor is derived from the
Latin word rapio, meaning to seize or take by force. In addition to hunting live prey, many
birds, such as fish eagles, vultures and condors, eat carrion.
Although the term bird of prey could theoretically be taken to include all birds that primarily
consume animals, ornithologists typically use the narrower definition followed in this page.
Examples of birds of prey not encompassed by the ornithological definition include storks,
herons, gulls, phorusrhacids, skuas, penguins, kookaburras, and shrikes, as well as the many
songbirds that are primarily insectivorous. Some extinct predatory birds had talons similar to
those of modern birds of prey, including mousebird relatives, Messelasturidae and some
Enantiornithes, indicating possibly similar habits.

12.

Osprey

13.

The osprey or more specifically the western osprey also called sea hawk, river hawk, and
fish hawk is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor,
reaching more than 60 cm in length and 180 cm across the wings. It is brown on the
upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.
The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water
providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, although
in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.
As its other common names suggest, the osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It
possesses specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in
hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it has been given its
own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Three subspecies are usually
recognized; one of the former subspecies, cristatus, has recently been given full species
status and is referred to as the eastern osprey.

14.

Eagle

15.

Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae.
Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the
60 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just 14 species can be
found—2 in North America, 9 in Central and South America, and 3 in Australia. It is
nicknamed the king of all birds.
Eagles are not a natural group, but denote essentially any bird of prey large enough to
hunt sizeable (about 50 cm long or more overall) vertebrate prey.
Eagles are large, powerfully built birds of prey, with heavy heads and beaks. Even the
smallest eagles, such as the booted eagle, which is comparable in size to a common
buzzard or red-tailed hawk, have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and
more direct, faster flight – despite the reduced size of aerodynamic feathers. Most eagles
are larger than any other raptors apart from some vultures. The smallest species of eagle
is the South Nicobar serpent eagle, at 450 g and 40 cm. The largest species are discussed
below. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large hooked beaks for ripping flesh
from their prey, strong, muscular legs, and powerful talons. The beak is typically
heavier than that of most other birds of prey. Eagles' eyes are extremely powerful. It is
estimated that the martial eagle, whose eye is more than twice as long[clarification
needed] as a human eye, has a visual acuity 3.0 to 3.6 times that of humans. This acuity
enables eagles to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is
primarily attributed to their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction
(scattering) of the incoming light. The female of all known species of eagles is larger
than the male.

16.

Hawk

17.

Hawks are a group of medium-sized diurnal birds of prey of the family Accipitridae.
Hawks are widely distributed and vary greatly in size.
The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks
and others. This subfamily are mainly woodland birds with long tails and high visual
acuity. They hunt by dashing suddenly from a concealed perch. In America, members of
the Buteo group are also called hawks; this group is called buzzards in other parts of the
world. Generally, buteos have broad wings and sturdy builds. They are relatively largerwinged, shorter-tailed and fly further distances in open areas than accipiters. Buteos
descend or pounce on their prey rather than hunting in a fast horizontal pursuit.
The terms accipitrine hawk and buteonine hawk are used to distinguish between the
types in regions where hawk applies to both. The term "true hawk" is sometimes used
for the accipitrine hawks in regions where buzzard is preferred for the buteonine
hawks.
All these groups are members of the family Accipitridae, which includes the hawks and
buzzards as well as kites, harriers and eagles. To confuse things further, some authors
use "hawk" generally for any small to medium Accipitrid that is not an eagle.
A Red-tailed hawk, a member of the Buteo group
The common names of some birds include the term "hawk", reflecting traditional usage
rather than taxonomy. For example, some people may call an osprey a "fish hawk" or a
peregrine falcon a "duck hawk".

18.

Harrier

19.

A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks sometimes placed in the
subfamily Circinae of the bird of prey family Accipitridae. Harriers characteristically
hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds. The
young of the species are sometimes referred to as ring-tail harriers. They are distinctive
with long wings, a long narrow tail, the slow and low flight over grasslands and skull
peculiarities. The harriers are thought to have diversified with the expansion of
grasslands and the emergence of C4 grasses about 6 to 8 million years ago during the
Late Miocene and Pliocene.
Ring-tail is an informal term used by birders for the juveniles and females of several
harrier species when seen in the field and not identifiable to an exact species. Ring-tail
harriers include the juveniles and females of Montagu's harrier, hen harrier, and pallid
harrier.

20.

Vulture

21.

Vulture

22.

A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. The Old World vultures include 15
living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; and New World vultures are restricted
to North and South America. A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head,
devoid of feathers. This bare skin is thought to keep the head clean when feeding, and
also plays an important role in thermoregulation.
Vultures have been observed to hunch their bodies and tuck in their heads in the cold,
and open their wings and stretch their necks in the heat. They also urinate on
themselves as a means of cooling their bodies.
A group of vultures in flight is called a 'kettle', while the term 'committee' refers to a
group of vultures resting on the ground or in trees. A group of vultures that are feeding
is termed 'wake'.

23.

Owl

24.

Owl

25.

Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly
solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head,
binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight.
Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl.
Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species
specialize in hunting fish. They are found in all regions of the Earth except the polar ice
caps and some remote islands.
Owls are divided into two families: the true (or typical) owl family, Strigidae, and the
barn-owl family, Tytonidae.
A group of owls is called a "parliament."

26.

Polar owl

27.

The snowy owl is a large, white owl of the true owl family. It is sometimes also referred
to, more infrequently, as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl. Snowy owls
are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding
mostly on the tundra. It has a number of unique adaptations to its habitat and lifestyle,
which are quite distinct from other extant owls. One of the largest species of owl, it is
the only owl with largely white plumage. Males tend to be a purer white overall while
females tend to more have more extensive flecks of dark brown. Juvenile male snowy
owls have dark markings that may appear similar to females until maturity, at which
point they typically turn whiter. The composition of brown markings about the wing,
although not foolproof, is the most reliable technique to age and sex individual snowy
owls.
Most owls sleep during the day and hunt at night, but the snowy owl is often active
during the day, especially in the summertime. The snowy owl is both a specialized and
generalist hunter. Its breeding efforts and entirely global population are closely tied to
the availability of tundra-dwelling lemmings but in the non-breeding season and
occasionally during breeding the snowy owl can adapt to almost any available prey,
most often other small mammals and northerly water birds (as well as,
opportunistically, carrion). Snowy owls typically nest on a small rise on the ground of
the tundra. The snowy owl lays a very large clutch of eggs, often from about 5 to 11,
with the laying and hatching of eggs considerably staggered. Despite the short Arctic
summer, the development of the young takes a relatively long time and independence is
sought in autumn.

28.

Eagle owl

29.

The American (North and South America) horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls
make up the genus Bubo, at least as traditionally described. The genus name Bubo is
Latin for the Eurasian eagle-owl.
This genus, depending on definition, contains about one or two dozen species of true
owls and is found in many parts of the world. Some of the largest living Strigiformes
are in Bubo. Traditionally, only owls with ear-tufts were included in this genus, but that
is no longer the case.
Systematics of which species to include among the horned owls is in an upheaval at
present. While Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b sequence data favors the decision by
some to regard the snowy owl as an eagle-owl adapted to Arctic conditions, moving it
into Bubo, this is not accepted by all authorities, many still preferring Nyctea.
Likewise disagreement exists over the decision by some to move the four fish-owls
previously in the genus Ketupa provisionally into Bubo as well, which introduces a
good bit of confusion. While the mtDNA cytochrome b data suggests that in this case, to
make Bubo monophyletic the Scotopelia fishing owls would also need to be included
there. On the other hand, the genus then becomes quite large and ill-defined, and Bubo
in the expanded sense seems to consist of two distinct clades. Thus, the fish and fishing
owls can alternatively be united in Ketupa if some aberrant eagle-owls – at least the
barred, spot-bellied and Usambara eagle-owls, perhaps also Fraser's eagle-owl and
maybe others – are moved into that genus too. As some enigmatic eagle-owls remain
essentially unstudied and others – e.g. Verreaux's eagle-owl – are of unresolved
relationships, more research is needed.

30.

The short-toed eagle

31.

The short-toed snake eagle, also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird
of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such
as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus name Circaetus is from the Ancient Greek
kirkos, a type of hawk, and aetos, "eagle". The specific gallicus means "of Gaul".
These are relatively large snake eagles. Adults are 59 to 70 cm long with a 162 to 195 cm
wingspan and weigh 1.2–2.3 kg, an average weight for the species is about 1.7 kg. They
can be recognised in the field by their predominantly white underside, the upper parts
being greyish brown. The chin, throat and upper breast are a pale, earthy brown. The
tail has 3 or 4 bars. Additional indications are an owl-like rounded head, brightly yellow
eyes and lightly barred under wing.
The short-toed snake eagle spends more time on the wing than do most members of its
genus. It favours soaring over hill slopes and hilltops on updraughts, and it does much
of its hunting from this position at heights of up to 500 m. When quartering open
country it frequently hovers like a kestrel. When it soars it does so on flattish wings.

32.

The kite

33.

Kite is the common name for certain birds of prey in the family Accipitridae,
particularly in subfamilies Milvinae, Elaninae, and Perninae.
Some authors use the terms "hovering kite" and "soaring kite" to distinguish between
Elanus and the milvine kites, respectively. The group may also be differentiated by size,
referring to milvine kites as "large kites", and elanine kites as "small kites".

34.

Lammergeyer

35.

The bearded vulture, also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a bird of prey and
the only member of the genus Gypaetus. This bird is also identified as Huma bird or
Homa bird in Iran and north west Asia. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture,
it actually forms a minor lineage of Accipitridae together with the Egyptian vulture, its
closest living relative. It is not much more closely related to the Old World vultures
proper than to, for example, hawks, and differs from the former by its feathered neck.
Although dissimilar, the Egyptian and bearded vulture each have a lozenge-shaped
tail—unusual among birds of prey.
The population of this species continues to decline. In 2004, it was classified by the
IUCN Red List as least concern; since 2014, it is listed as near threatened. The bearded
vulture is the only known vertebrate whose diet consists almost exclusively (70 to 90
percent) of bone. It lives and breeds on crags in high mountains in southern Europe, the
Caucasus, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Tibet, laying one or two eggs in midwinter that hatch at the beginning of spring. Populations are residents.

36.

Honey buzzard

37.

The 52–60-centimetre -long honey buzzard is larger and longer winged, with a 135–150centimetre wingspan, when compared to the smaller common buzzard. It appears longer
necked with a small head, and soars on flat wings. It has a longer tail, which has fewer
bars than the Buteo buzzard, usually with two narrow dark bars and a broad dark
subterminal bar. The sexes can be distinguished on plumage, which is unusual for a
large bird of prey. The male has a blue-grey head, while the female's head is brown. The
female is slightly larger and darker than the male.
The soaring jizz is quite diagnostic; the wings are held straight with the wing tips
horizontal or sometimes slightly pointed down. The head protrudes forwards with a
slight kink downwards and sometimes a very angular chest can be seen, similar to a
sparrowhawk, although this may not be diagnostic. The angular chest is most
pronounced when seen in direct flight with tail narrowed. The call is a clear peee-lu.

38.

Buzzard

39.

The broad-winged hawk is a relatively small Buteo, with a body size from 32 to 44 cm in
length and weighing 265 to 560 g. The tail is relatively short, measuring 14.5–19.0 cm in
length. The tarsus measures from 5.6 to 6.6 cm. As in most raptors, females are slightly
larger than males. Broad-winged hawks have relatively short and broad wings, pointed
at the end, which have a tapered appearance unique to the species. The wingspan can
range from 74 to 100 cm, with the extended wing bone (standard measurement)
measuring 22.7–30 cm.
An adult's body is a dark brown with a white belly and chest containing horizontal
barring. Its tail can be a dark grey-black with white lines along the middle, base, and
tip. The young hawks have a slightly different coloring with more white and
longitudinal barring instead of horizontal barring. The two types of coloration are a
dark morph with fewer white areas and a light morph that is more pale overall. The
light morph of this bird is most likely to be confused with the red-shouldered hawk, but
it has a longer, more heavily barred tail and wings with a solid rufous color in the adult,
which are usually distinctive. Rare dark morphs are a darker brown on both upperparts
and underparts. Dark-morph short-tailed hawks are similar, but are whitish under the
tail with a single subterminal band.

40.

Sea eagle

41.

Sea eagles vary in size, from Sanford's sea eagle, averaging 2.0–2.7 kg, to the huge
Steller's sea eagle, weighing up to 9 kg. At up to 6.9 kg, the white-tailed eagle is the
largest eagle in Europe. Bald eagles can weigh up to 6.3 kg, making them the largest
eagle native to North America. There are exceptional records of even heavier individuals
in both the white-tailed and bald eagles, although not surpassing the largest Steller's sea
eagles. The white-bellied sea eagle can weigh up to 4.5 kg. They are generally overall
brown (from rich brown to dull grey-brown), often with white to the head, tail or
underparts. Some of the species have an all-yellow beak as adults, which is unusual
among eagles.
Their diets consist mainly of fish, aquatic birds and small mammals. Nests are typically
very large and positioned in a tree, but sometimes on a cliff.
The tail is entirely white in adult Haliaeetus species except for Sanford's, White-bellied,
and Pallas's. Three species pairs exist: white-tailed and bald eagles, Sanford's and whitebellied sea eagles, and the African and Madagascan fish eagles, each of these consists of
a white- and a tan-headed species.

42.

Goshawk

43.

The goshawk has relatively short, broad wings and a long tail, typical for Accipiter
species and common to raptors that require maneuverability within forest habitats. For
an Accipiter, it has a relatively sizeable bill, relatively long wings, a relatively short tail,
robust and fairly short legs and particularly thick toes. Across most of the species' range,
it is blue-grey above or brownish-grey with dark barring or streaking over a grey or
white base color below, but Asian subspecies in particular range from nearly white
overall to nearly black above. Goshawks tend to show clinal variation in color, with
most goshawks further north being paler and those in warmer areas being darker but
individuals can be either dark in the north or pale in the south. Individuals that live a
long life may gradually become paler as they age, manifesting in mottling and a
lightening of the back from a darker shade to a bluer pale color. Its plumage is more
variable than that of the Eurasian sparrowhawk, which is probably due to higher genetic
variability in the larger goshawk. The juvenile northern goshawk is usually a solid to
mildly streaky brown above, with many variations in underside color from nearly pure
white to almost entirely overlaid with broad dark cinnamon-brown striping. Both
juveniles and adults have a barred tail, with 3 to 5 dark brown or black bars. Adults
always have a white eye stripe or supercilia, which tends to be broader in northern
Eurasian and North American birds. In North America, juveniles have pale-yellow eyes,
and adults develop dark red eyes usually after their second year, although nutrition and
genetics may affect eye color as well. In Europe and Asia, juveniles also have paleyellow eyes while adults typically develop orange-colored eyes, though some may have
only brighter yellow or occasionally ochre or brownish eye color. Moulting starts
between late March and late May, the male tends to moult later and faster than the
female.

44.

Falcon

45.

Falcons are birds of prey in the genus Falco, which includes about 40 species. Falcons
are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely
related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons have thin, tapered wings,
which enable them to fly at high speed and change direction rapidly. Fledgling falcons,
in their first year of flying, have longer flight feathers, which make their configuration
more like that of a general-purpose bird such as a broad-wing. This makes flying easier
while learning the exceptional skills required to be effective hunters as adults.
The falcons are the largest genus in the Falconinae subfamily of Falconidae, which itself
also includes another subfamily comprising caracaras and a few other species. All these
birds kill with their beaks, using a "tooth" on the side of their beaks—unlike the hawks,
eagles, and other birds of prey in the Accipitridae, which use their feet.
The largest falcon is the gyrfalcon at up to 65 cm in length. The smallest falcon species is
the Pygmy falcon which measures just 20 cm. As with hawks and owls, falcons exhibit
sexual dimorphism, with the females typically larger than the males, thus allowing a
wider range of prey species. Some small falcons with long, narrow wings are called
"hobbies“ and some which hover while hunting are called "kestrels".
As is the case with many birds of prey, falcons have exceptional powers of vision; the
visual acuity of one species has been measured at 2.6 times that of a normal human.
Peregrine falcons have been recorded diving at speeds of 200 miles per hour (320 km/h),
making them the fastest-moving creatures on Earth. The fastest recorded dive for one is
(Peregrine 390 kilometers per hour (240 mph).

46.

Secretary bird

47.

The secretarybird or secretary bird is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to
Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub-Saharan
region. John Frederick Miller described the species in 1779. Although a member of the
order Accipitriformes, which also includes many other diurnal birds of prey such as
kites, hawks, vultures, and harriers, it is placed in its own family, Sagittariidae.
The secretarybird is instantly recognisable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body
on crane-like legs that give the bird a height of as much as 1.3 m. The sexes are similar
in appearance. Adults have a featherless red-orange face and predominantly grey
plumage, with a flattened dark crest and black flight feathers and thighs.
Breeding can take place at any time of year, but tends to be late in the dry season. The
nest is built at the top of a thorny tree, and a clutch of one to three eggs is laid. In years
with plentiful food all three young can survive to fledging. The secretarybird hunts and
catches prey on the ground, often stomping on victims to kill them. Insects and small
vertebrates make up its diet.
Although the secretarybird occurs over a large range, the results of localised surveys
suggest that the total population is experiencing a rapid decline, probably as a result of
habitat degradation. The species is therefore classed as Endangered by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature.
The secretarybird appears on the coats of arms of Sudan and South Africa.

48.

The barn owl

49.

The barn owl is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the
most widespread of all species of birds. It is also known as the common barn owl, to
distinguish it from the other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the
two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls. The barn owl is
found almost everywhere in the world except for the polar and desert regions, Asia
north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific islands.
Phylogenetic evidence shows that there are at least three major lineages of barn owl, one
in Europe, western Asia and Africa, one in southeastern Asia and Australasia, and one
in the Americas, and some highly divergent taxa on islands. Accordingly, some
authorities split the group into the western barn owl for the group in Europe, western
Asia and Africa, the eastern barn owl for the group in southeastern Asia and
Australasia, and the American barn owl for the group in the Americas. Some taxonomic
authorities further split the group, recognising up to five species, and further research
needs to be done to clarify the position. There is a considerable variation between the
sizes and colour of the approximately 28 subspecies, but most are between 33 and 39 cm
in length, with wingspans ranging from 80 to 95 cm. The plumage on head and back is a
mottled shade of grey or brown, the underparts vary from white to brown and are
sometimes speckled with dark markings. The face is characteristically heart-shaped and
is white in most subspecies. This owl does not hoot, but utters an eerie, drawn-out
screech.