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What Birds of Prey Eat.
Photo courtesy National Wildlife Service. Birds of prey eat a wide variety of animals. They are at the top of the food chain on most habitats. They are good indicators of habit health. Without sufficient food (small birds, reptiles and mammals) these birds can't survive. Most raptors are hunters, but some are scavengers. Raptors hunt and eat rats, mice, smaller birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and fish. There is little that a raptor will not eat. The larger the bird, the larger the prey. Eagles will hunt medium-sized fish, rabbits, ducks, and occasionally fawns and lambs. Smaller hawks and owls will eat mice, rats, smaller birds, etc. The Sparrow Hawk feeds mainly on insects. Raptors hunt during the day (diurnal) and some are active at crepuscular times (dawn and dusk). Owls are nocturnal (active at night). Raptors require large home ranges, with few other raptors around. They are mostly found in open habitats of grasslands and agricultural fields. The greatest abundance of different species can be found in the tropical rainforest where they roost and nest in trees. With few exceptions, raptors are excellent fliers. The Falconidae (falcon, caracaras and allies) family are rapid fliers that take prey while flying at top speed. They catch small prey with their sharp talons and kill it with a bite on the back of the neck. Small Accipitrides (hawks, eagles and allies) hunt from a perch. They make short flights to catch small prey on the ground. They squeeze prey to death with strong feet. They then take the prey a short distance away for plucking, ripping and eating. Larger Accipitrides (larger hawks, eagles and allies) don't actively flap their wings but search for prey while riding thermals. Thermals are warm columns of air that rise from the ground to high in the sky. By riding the thermals these birds can glide for long distances. These thermal-riders do not hunt until the air warms up and when the thermals are created several hours after sunrise. This enables these birds to soar effortlessly for many miles while searching for food. These large birds tend to eat the soft high protein organs first. Any indigestible material (fur, feathers and bones) is regurgitated in a pellet through the bill, 16-18 hours later.
Watching Birds of PreyBird of Prey and Migration Return to Birds of Prey from What Birds of Prey Eat
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