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Birds of Prey - What are their characteristics?
Photo courtesy Federal Wildlife Service. Birds of prey are sky hunters. They swoop down and seize their prey with their sharp claws and hooked beaks. Last winter I watched a Sharp-Shinned Hawk unsuccessfully try to catch one of the sparrows and house finches at my bird feeders. I was fascinated by how the birds quiet down and flew off in many directions before the hawk even reached the feeder. That is how I could tell a predator was around, by the reaction of the birds. But what characteristics make a bird of prey? These swift fliers eat and hunt animals such as small birds, mice, rats, snakes, lizards, frogs and fish. There is little that a raptor will not eat. If you think about it, raptors aren't the only "birds of prey". Swallows, warblers and chimney swifts are among other birds that catch, eat or feed insects to their young. But a few characteristics make birds of prey different. Hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and owls are birds of prey known as raptors. The common name "raptor" comes from the Latin words "robber" and "seize". Raptors bodies are adapted for seizing prey. They have strong, compact bodies with heads that are generally rounded. Raptors have short legs and long toes with bent sharp claws. They have short, sharp-hooked beaks. The feet and beaks are designed for catching and ripping open the skin of prey. Their forward directed eyes have sharp vision to spot prey from a distance. Raptors range in size from the Elf Owl which is smaller than a Robin, to the largest bird in North American, the California Condor. In almost all raptor species, females are larger than males. Raptors colors are subdued with plumages of tans, grays, and browns. None of the raptors are brightly colored. In most species adult and immature juvenile plumages are very difficult. This can make identification a real challenge. Raptors make simple calls. Usually the calls consist of high pitched and harsh repeated notes. Kites and buzzards tend to be the most vocal. In one of the bird watching workshops I attended, I learned that the high-pitched call of eagles in television commercials are not actually eagles but the red-tailed hawk. Apparently, the calls of eagles aren't very dramatic. Raptors can live a long time. Bald Eagles can live over twenty years. Smaller raptors like kestrels can live up to ten years. Once a bird reaches adulthood, it will probably live a long time as long as long as habitats and food supplies are relatively healthy and abundant. Raptors are found on every continent except Antarctica. The greatest number of species is found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Raptors live in urban, suburban and rural areas. The Sharp-shinned Hawk, I wrote about early, lives in my neighborhood on the edge of large, very urban, Philadelphia. It flew right into my small backyard. It just proves you don't have to go to distance lands to see something magnificent.
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