Feathered predators. The most iconic and recognizable group of birds. Birds-hunters and birds-scavengers. All of them have good eyesight, large claws and a sharp beak.
The hunting principle of some species of birds has influenced their name. Birds of prey from the vulture order are called scavengers because they wait for the moment when the victim falls to his own death in order to eat it.
A bird of prey hunts with its legs, without using its beak. The term "predator" comes from the Latin word "rapere", meaning "power capture". After killing the prey with their claws, they tear it apart with their beak.
Day and night predators
There are about 500 species of birds of prey on Earth. Their sizes vary greatly. The largest predator from the order of birds is the male eagle living in the upper Andes, and the smallest is the pygmy falcon living on the plains.
The very concept of "bird of prey" covers a large number of birds that feed on vertebrates and small insects. Often, from the method of hunting for living creatures, their title. Birds of prey are classified into two types:
- diurnal predators;
- night hunters.
Traditional classification currently places diurnal predators in the Falconiformes family, formally dividing them into five families. The names of birds of prey are arranged alphabetically:
- Accipitridae. Squad of hawks. This includes eagles and buzzards.
- Cathartidae. Group of vultures. Including condors.
- Falconidae. Falcon squad.
- Pandionidae. Squad of ospreys. Sometimes classified as a subfamily.
- Sagittariidae. Marabou squad. It also includes the secretary bird.
Night predators are united in one family - owls and have two subgroups:
- Strigidae, or typical (normal) owls.
- Tytonidae, or laurel (bay- and barn-) owls.
These are two subgroups of birds that are not related to each other, but have a great morphological similarity and lead the same way of life. Only the similarity of vital functions and the name generalizes them. Birds of prey have been dubbed the orderlies of nature for their ability to identify weak, sick fauna and destroy them.
Factors affecting the name of birds of prey
Some names of birds of prey do not correspond to one or another ornithological type. The historical names of the birds were given either by the fact of external similarity, or in connection with the general conditions of their life.
- Eagles. Large individuals, with wide long wings and powerful legswith plumage. They build very large nests.
- Ospres. They live all over the world. Medium-sized individuals with long wings and relatively weak legs. The main type of hunting is fishing. Thanks to this feature, snake-catchers were assigned to this group - this is their traditional name. Birds of prey in this group build large nests.
- Hawks. Medium-sized birds that live in forests. They hunt in the air - “beat in years”, or dive into the water for prey. They have a fairly long tail that serves as a rudder in flight.
- Falcons. The most common group of medium birds of prey. They live everywhere. They hunt medium and small vertebrates. They have sharp eyesight and excellent hearing. They rarely build their own nests. They often nest in hollow trees or occupy abandoned nests of other birds. Can lay eggs in rock formations.
Diversity of species of the feathered world
Birds of Prey - a very diverse species of the feathered world. They are different in appearance, habitat, way of life, nature of nesting. There are giants and dwarfs.
The most curious feature of birds of prey is their sexual dimorphism. This phenomenon lies in the strong size difference between males and females. Many birds of prey, whose names and photos can be found in every issue of the zoological publication, have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Females of some species of falcons and hawks are almost twice as large as males. An exception to this rule can only bescavengers - females and males of this species are almost indistinguishable.
