Not only do birds of prey play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling prey populations, but they have also captured the imagination of humans for centuries.
With their majestic flight and sharp predatory instincts, these birds are symbols of strength, freedom, and survival.
What is a bird of prey?
A bird of prey, also known as a raptor, is a large, predatory, meat-eating bird. Birds of prey are characterised by strong, hooked bills and sharp talons borne by strong feet, which they use for hunting smaller birds and mammals. They also have excellent eyesight and hearing.
Birds of prey don't exclusively feed on freshly-hunted meat, though. The hobby, for instance, is an insect specialist with a particular penchant for dragonflies, while vultures famously subsist on carrion.
Is an owl a bird of prey?
There is some confusion around how owls fit in. Technically, an owl is a bird of prey but not a raptor.The term bird of prey refers to two orders of birds: Falconiformes (the hawks, harriers, eagles, kites and buzzard) and Strigiforms (owls). Raptors is used to describe the Falconiformes - so, while an owl is a bird of prey, it is not a raptor.
How many birds of prey species are there in the world?
According to the IFAW "there are over 560 species of birds of prey, including hawks, owls, eagles, vultures, and falcons, which can be found on every continent on Earth except Antarctica.
What is the world's biggest bird of prey?
The magnificent Andean condor is the world's biggest bird of prey, with a wingspan maxing out at around 3.2m, and weighing up to 15kg. It also stands an impressive 1.2 metres tall.
What is the world's strongest bird of prey?
The accolade of being the strongest bird of prey, says Ed Drewitt, belongs to several immense eagles, including the harpy and crested eagles of Central and South America, Africa’s martial eagle, the Philippine eagle and the New Guinea eagle.
What is the world's biggest owl?
The title of largest owl in the world belongs to the Blakiston fish owl. Fully grown males weigh about 3.5kg, while the slightly bigger females can reach 4.6kg. More impressive, however, are the Blakistons’ wingspans, which can be up to 200cm.
In comparison the smallest owl in the world is the elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi). This minute owl is about 12-14cm long (the size of a tin of beans) and weighs between 35-55g.
What's the world's biggest eagle?
This is a title that is often claimed for Steller’s sea eagle, a fish-eating species from North-East Asia. However, the white-tailed eagle of Eurasia might just match it in terms of wingspan (both can reach about 2.5m), and the Philippine eagle and harpy eagle of tropical America might be just as heavy (up to about 10kg).
What's the biggest falcon in the world?
The biggest falcon in the world is the Gyrfalcon, which measures 48 - 65 cm long and weighing between 805g and 2kg. They have a wingspan of between 110 to 160 cm.
How many bird of prey species are found in the UK?
There are 20 species of birds of prey in the UK, 15 species of raptor and five owls. Rare visitors also sometimes turn up.
At a glance, the UK's 15 raptors include the golden and white tailed eagles, osprey, red kite, marsh, hen and Montagu's harrier, common and honey buzzards, kestrel, merlin, goshawk, sparrowhawk, peregrine falcon and hobby.
And our five owls are the barn, little, short-eared, long-eared and tawny.
What is Britain's largest bird of prey?
Britain's largest bird of prey, the white tailed eagle (also known as the sea eagle) went extinct in the UK in the early 19th century. It was reintroduced to Rum, in Scotland, in the 1970s, and has since been restored to Ireland and the Isle of Wight. It breeds along coasts and by large lakes and rivers.
The white-tailed eagle has brown plumage, with pale fringes to its feathers that give it a rather muted appearance. It has a conspicuously buff head and neck, an all-white, pointed tail and a large, all-yellow bill. Its long, broad wings are tipped with with distinct 'fingers'.
Our second-largest bird of prey, after the white-tailed, is the golden eagle. It is now confined to open moorland and mountains in Scotland, where about 500 pairs reside. It's often seen gliding on air currents, holding its wings in a shallow 'V'shape.
Adult golden eagles are mainly dark brown. They have a sandy nape that flashes gold in sunlight – hence the name – and areas of paler grey on the wings and tail. Juveniles have striking patches of white on the primary wing feathers and tail, which gradually shrink as a bird matures and have usually disappeared by its fifth year. Other key features of this species are the bright yellow legs and yellow cere – the skin at the base of the bill. They are very large and long-winged, and the tail is wedge-shaped (unlike the more pointed tail of a white-tailed eagle).
