Raptors Flashcards
What exactly defines a raptor?
What are raptors?
Birds of prey or predatory birds, are also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles, and other smaller birds).
What special adaptations do raptors have?
In addition to speed and strength, these predators have keen eyesight for detecting prey from a distance or during flight, strong feet with sharp talons for grasping or killing prey, and powerful, curved beaks for tearing off flesh. Although predatory birds primarily hunt live prey, many species (such as fish eagles, vultures and condors) also scavenge and eat carrion.
What does Raptor mean?
The term raptor is derived from the Latin word rapio, meaning “to seize or take by force”.
Which birds are considered raptors or birds of prey?
Eagles
Falcons and kestrels
Caracaras
True hawks
Buzzards
Harriers
Kites
Osprey
Owls
Secretary bird
Vultures
What is an Eagle?
Eagles tend to be large, powerful birds with long, broad wings and massive feet. Booted eagles have legs and feet feathered to the toes and build very large stick nests. True eagles comprise the genus Aquila. Most of the 68 species of eagles are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just 14 species can be found—2 in North America, nine in Central and South America, and 3 in Australia.
What are Falcons and Kestrels?
Falcons and kestrels are medium-size birds of prey with long pointed wings, and many are particularly swift flyers. They belong to the family Falconidae, only distantly related to the Accipitriformes.
What are Caracaras?
Caracaras are a distinct subgroup of the Falconidae unique to the New World, and most common in the Neotropics – their broad wings, naked faces and appetites of a generalist suggest some level of convergence with either Buteo or the vulturine birds, or both.
What is a Hawk?
True hawks are medium-sized birds of prey that usually belong to the genus Accipiter (see below). They are mainly woodland birds that hunt by sudden dashes from a concealed perch. They usually have long tails for tight steering.
What is a Buzzard?
Buzzards are medium-large raptors with robust bodies and broad wings, or, alternatively, any bird of the genus Buteo (also commonly known as “hawks” in North America, while “buzzard” is colloquially used for vultures).
What is a Harrier?
Harriers are large, slender hawk-like birds with long tails and long thin legs. Most use a combination of keen eyesight and hearing to hunt small vertebrates, gliding on their long broad wings and circling low over grasslands and marshes.
What is a Kite
Kites have long wings and relatively weak legs. They spend much of their time soaring. They will take live vertebrate prey, but mostly feed on insects or even carrion.
What is an Osprey?
The osprey, a single species found worldwide that specializes in catching fish and builds large stick nests.
What is an Owl?
Owls are variable-sized, typically night-specialized hunting birds. They fly almost silently due to their special feather structure that reduces turbulence. They have particularly acute hearing and nocturnal eyesight.
What is a Secretary Bird?
The secretary bird is a single species with a large body and long, stilted legs endemic to the open grasslands of Sub-Saharan Africa.
What are Vultures?
Vultures are scavengers and carrion-eating raptors of two distinct biological families: the Old World vultures(Accipitridae), which occurs only in the Eastern Hemisphere; and the New World vultures (Cathartidae), which occurs only in the Western Hemisphere. Members of both groups have heads either partly or fully devoid of feathers.
