- The bald eagle uses its hooked beak and sharp claws for hunting prey.
Birds that pursue other animals for food are called birds of prey. They are also called raptors. Birds of prey are usually fairly large in size. They have good eyesight that helps them see their prey from far away. Their hooked beaks and sharp claws are useful for holding, carrying, and killing prey. Birds of prey can be found all over the world. Some common birds of prey are buzzards, eagles, falcons, hawks, ospreys, owls, and vultures. BehaviorMost birds of prey hunt by sight during the day. They then sleep at night. Owls, however, hunt at night and sleep during the day. Birds of prey eat many different kinds of animals. Some eat reptiles such as snakes and frogs. Others eat birds, insects, or rodents. A few birds of prey feast on carrion, which is the flesh of dead animals. Birds that only eat fish, such as penguins, pelicans, and storks, are generally not considered to be birds of prey. ReproductionMany birds of prey mate for life. They build nests in trees, on ledges of cliffs, or on the ground. Many lay only one egg at a time, and few lay more than four. Owls are an exception to this rule as they can lay up to 12 eggs at a time. The eggs are usually rounded ovals, white or greenish, and spotted. Occasionally they are completely covered with brown or red-brown pigment. The eggs hatch in the order in which they were laid. Just after the birds have hatched, they usually receive a lot of attention from their parents. Later, parental attention is steadily reduced until the young are left alone except for brief feeding visits. The young birds make their first flights on their own, without the prodding of their parents. Relationship to humansBirds of prey are helpful to humans because they eat dead animals and control rodent populations. However, many of them are facing extinction. In some cases birds of prey are destroyed by humans because the birds are believed to kill small domestic animals. Birds of prey have also been harmed by the effects of human activity on their food sources and habitats. As the human population has grown, more and more trees have been cut down to provide land for farming. This has limited the number of areas where these birds can live. Birds of prey need a large amount of space for their territories so they do not have to compete with other birds for food. Chemicals used to kill pests have also harmed birds of prey. This happens when the birds of prey eat animals that have earlier eaten plants containing these poisonous chemicals. The poisons in the animals cause the birds of prey to lay eggs with thin shells. These eggs can break before the young hatch. Therefore the birds of prey may have fewer chicks. This problem is made worse because birds of prey lay only a few eggs at one time. |