Eagles, vultures, hawks, kestrels, falcons, kites and owls are known as birds of prey. They are dangerous to small or medium-sized animals....
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Eagles, vultures, hawks, kestrels, falcons, kites and owls are known as birds of prey. They are dangerous to small or medium-sized animals.
These meat eaters have long claws for stabbing and gripping their prey. They also have sharp and powerful hook-tipped beaks for tearing their prey apart.
Birds of prey can see about four times more than people. Some hawks can even spot a grasshopper 330 feet away!
Eagles build their nests at the top of dead trees so it they can spot prey. The nest is a heap of big sticks, and though messy, it is strong enough to be used year after year with a few minor repairs.
Owls hunt in the dark as they can see clearly in the night. For hunting, they mostly rely on their hearing sense. Even a slightest rustle results in their emitting an ultrasonic sound wave which hits the prey in its vicinity and bounces back.
The bouncing waves help the owl know the location and size of the prey, and then it proceeds to attack it. This is known as echolocation.
Egyptian vultures love to eat the eggs of other large birds like ostriches. They use rocks as tools, throwing them at the eggs to smash the shells.
Osprey or the migratory fishing-hawk, hunts for fishes while hovering over the water. On seeing a fish, it hits the water with wings folded back and its feet forward.
It makes a big splash and vanishes inside the water. If it has aimed well it will rise in the air with a fish held firmly in its claws.
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Vultures are carrion feeders which render great service to man as scavengers by speedily disposing off dead animals. Up to 100 vultures at a time may feed on the dead animal; sometimes these birds eat so much that they can barely fly.
Falcons mostly hunt other birds. They capture their prey by stooping on it with closed wings in the manner of a dive-bomber plane at a speed close to 200 km per hour.
The prey falls to the ground when it is hit and the falcon follows to snatch up its prize.
Most eagles hunt animals small enough to pick up and carry away. But if they manage to kill a larger animal, they eat it on the spot. Eagles kill with their claws and use their sharp beaks to cut through the flesh.
All birds of prey have suffered serious a decline in population in recent years.
It has been found that the indiscriminate use of toxic chemical pesticides and herbicides is affecting their natural reproduction process.
