A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts for food
primarily using its talons. They display a characteristic
curved tip to their beak and have superb vision. Those
that are active during the day (diurnal) are classified
as follows:
• Accipitriformes
o Cathartidae: New World vultures
o Pandionidae: Osprey
o Accipitridae: Hawks, eagles, buzzards, kites and Old
World vultures
o Sagittariidae: Secretary Bird
• Falconiformes
o Falconidae: Falcons
Within the Falconiformes and Acciptriformes there are
approximately 290 species of which only around 60 are
contained in the former assemblage.
• Strigiformes
o Strigidae: Owls
The nocturnal owls are also classified as raptors but
rely primarily on acute hearing to locate their prey.
Number of UK species = 15
In the UK we have four falcons that are know to breed
regularly here: In order of size they are the Merlin,
Kestrel, Hobby and Peregrine. There are two true species
of hawk, or accipiter, the Sparrowhawk and Goshawk .
There are two buzzards, the common buzzard and honey
buzzard. There are also three species of Harrier; the
Hen, Montague’s and Marsh harrier. The largest
species of bird of prey in the British Isles are the
White tailed
sea eagle and the golden eagle. The two remaining species
are the red kite, recovering well from historic persecution
at the hands of man and the osprey which suffered the
same fate over the previous two centuries but whose numbers
are also on the rise.
The nocturnal species of birds of prey, namely the owls
are as follows:
Little owl, Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl and
Long-Eared Owl. These are all small to medium sized species
but the Eurasian Eagle Owl, the largest species of owl
of all, is believed to be establishing a viable breeding
colony comprised of birds that have escaped from captivity.
Given the fact that the beautiful snowy owl is also a
rare visitor to our shores we are well blessed with owls
in the UK!
Most people when sizing up birds of prey will be understandably
cautious about the sharp hooked beak. This feature of
the raptors is certainly formidable but of little consequence
when compared with the power contained in these birds
talons. The feet of birds of prey are essentially made
up from bone, sinew and some rather impressive claws.
These are powered by strong muscles held in the thigh
of the animal. In addition, the structure of the foot
in many species of bird of prey allows it to lock when
it has a decent grip on its prey. No matter how much
the prey item bucks and kicks the hawk cannot let it
go. Once the victim is subdued the previously redundant
raptor beak comes into its own when tearing at the flesh.
Most birds of prey will grip their food in the beak and
use their entire body musculature to assist the beak
in removing edible morsels. However, many owls simply
swallow their prey whole. In falcons there is an extension
on the upper part of the beak called the tomial tooth.
It is thought that this structure is used to break the
necks of the falcons avian prey.
So the feet are what defines a bird of prey but all
raptors share a number of other features. Those active
during the day have excellent eyesight being much more
sensitive to movement than our own in addition to much
better distance vision. They also have a number of specialisations
in body form. Some are adapted to fast, highly manoeuvrable
flight, such as the accipters or true hawks. Others,
like the falcons have long scythe shaped wings that give
them the ability to reach incredible speeds in downwards
flight. In short, birds of prey are pretty amazing things!
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