Bird of Prey

Bird Of Prey

Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily via flight, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing flesh. In most cases, the females are considerably larger than the males. The term "raptor" is derived from the Latin word rapere (meaning to seize or take by force) and may refer informally to all birds of prey, or specifically to the diurnal group. Because of their predatory lifestyle, often at the top of the food chain, they face distinct conservation concerns.

Many species of bird may be considered partly or exclusively predatory; however, in ornithology the term "bird of prey" applies only to birds of the families listed below.

Read more about Bird Of Prey:  Definition, Classification By Ancestry, Common Names

Famous quotes containing the words bird of, bird and/or prey:

    Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes
    Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated,
    This bird of dawning singeth all night long,
    And then they say no spirit dare stir abroad,
    The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike,
    No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
    So hallowed, and so gracious, is that time.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    I’ll be a new bird with the head of an ass,
    Two pigs’ feet, two men’s feet, and two of a hen
    Thomas Lovell Beddoes (1803–1849)

    A lioness, with udders all drawn dry,
    Lay couching, head on ground, with cat-like watch
    When that the sleeping man should stir; for ‘tis
    The royal disposition of that beast
    To prey on nothing that doth seem as dead.
    William Shakespeare (1564–1616)