Birds of Prey – What are their characteristics?
Birds of prey are sky hunters. They swoop down and seize their prey with their sharp claws and hooked beaks. Last winter I watched a Sharp-Shinned Hawk unsuccessfully try to catch one of the sparrows and house finches at my bird feeders. I was fascinated by how the birds quiet down and flew off in many directions before the hawk even reached the feeder. That is how I could tell a predator was around, by the reaction of the birds. But what characteristics make a bird of prey? These swift fliers eat and hunt animals such as small birds, mice, rats, snakes, lizards, frogs and fish. There is little that a raptor will not eat. If you think about it, raptors aren’t the only “birds of prey”. Swallows, warblers and chimney swifts are among other birds that catch, eat or feed insects to their young. But a few characteristics make birds of prey different. Hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and owls are birds of prey known as raptors. The common name “raptor” comes from the Latin words “robber” and
