Raptors or Birds of Prey

Northern Saw-whet Owl cleaning its talons

Mississippi Kites are slender and agile, catching insects and dragonflies while both in flight.

Birds of Prey, also known as raptors, eat meat only. Their diet includes rodents, amphibians, fish, mammals, reptiles, insects, and other birds.

In addition, they share three other characteristics. Including:

Sharp eyesight
Strong, sharp talons
Strongly hooked beak

This group of birds includes hawks, owls, eagles, vultures, and falcons. Worldwide, there are approximately 560 species of raptors. Thirty-five (35) of those are in North America.

Raptors have large eyes, and depending on the species, the eyes can take up to a quarter to almost three-quarters of the bird's skull.

They can see farther than humans. Hence the phrase "eagle-eyed."

While birds of prey cannot move their eyes around like humans, they have a better trick. Instead, they have extra bones in their necks, allowing them to move their entire head. Owls and some other raptors can turn their heads 270 degrees.

Gray Hawks eat mainly a variety of lizards. Their range extends across Arizona, which has one of the country's highest levels of lizard diversity.

Red-shouldered Hawk. You are advised not to stand under a nest. Five days after a chick is hatched, it is powerful enough to project its poop out and over the upper lip of the nest. So, to say it another way, look on the ground to see if a nest is active.

Raptors' talons are very sharp. Each foot has four talons. A talon has two components: the bone that is covered by a sheath made of the same material as your nails: keratin. Talons are designed to grab and carry things. Raptors use talons to capture, subdue, and kill their prey. They are adapted to holding their prey on tree limbs while using their beaks to tear the meat into bite-sized pieces.

The Peregrine Falcon, not pictured here, is the world's most widely distributed bird of prey. This raptor is also the fastest animal in the world, diving at speeds over 200 miles per hour. It kills its prey in the air by closing its talons and ramming it into the prey, knocking it out of the sky.

Like the talons, raptors' beaks are bone-covered by keratin. Raptor beaks are curved and end in a sharp point. This enables the bird to bite, tear, and, in some cases, kill its prey. Strong jaws also support the beak's structure.

Golden Eagle on the edge of Yellowstone's Madison River. I was personally treated to this Golden Eagle AND the American Bald Eagle on the ground at the same spot one evening, only together for a few seconds. But both were there, and they both came down to the river edge to get a drink of water after eating some carrion on the small island.

Below the picture carousel, follow the links to the different birds of prey featured on this site.

Great Horned Owlet

Only one or two owlets survive to fledge out of a clutch of one to four eggs.

Great Gray Owl

Great Gray Owls look big, but they are a fluff ball of feathers.

Norther Harrier

Male Northern Harrier flying low over the field. Look for them, flying low looking for dinner, and the white patch on their rump. Two characteristics that help with identification.

American Kestrel

American Kestrel with dinner in talon. The Kestrel is a small falcon. It may bob its tail when perched. Look for that behavior.

Merlin

This small and fierce falcon preys on small songbirds and shorebirds. Merlins take over old nests of other raptors or crows to raise this years eggs.

American Bald Eagle →