Content
- what are birds of prey
- Birds of prey: differences between day and night
- names of birds of prey
- Red-headed Vulture (Cathartes aura)
- Royal Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
- Common Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
- European Hawk (Accipiter nisus)
- Golden Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)
- Secretary (Sagittarius serpentarius)
- Other daytime birds of prey
At day birds of prey, also known as birds raptorial, are an extensive group of animals belonging to the order Falconiformes, comprising more than 309 species. They differ from nocturnal birds of prey, which belong to the Estrigiformes group, mainly in their style of flight, which in the latter group is totally silent due to the shape of their body.
In this PeritoAnimal article, we will explain the names of birds of prey daylights, their characteristics and much more. In addition, we will also talk about the differences from nocturnal birds of prey.
what are birds of prey
To start explaining what are birds of prey, you should know that the group of diurnal birds of prey is very heterogeneous, and they are very unrelated. Despite this, they share certain characteristics that distinguish them from other birds:
- present a cryptic plumage, which allows them to camouflage themselves exceptionally in their environment.
- have strong and very sharp claws to trap its fangs, which serve to hold and pull out the flesh. In some cases the legs can be feathered to protect the bird if it lives in cold climates.
- have a sharp curved beak, which they use mainly to tear and break their prey. The size of the beak varies according to the species and type of prey that the bird hunts.
- O sense of sight is very keen in these birds, about ten times better than that of humans.
- Some birds of prey, like vultures, have a extremely developed sense of smell, allowing them to detect decaying animals several kilometers away.
Birds of prey: differences between day and night
Both diurnal and nocturnal raptors share common features such as claw and beak. However, they also have distinct personalities, able to easily differentiate them:
- The nocturnal birds of prey have the rounder head, which allows them to capture sounds better.
- Another feature that distinguishes them is that can share space but not time, that is, when the diurnal birds go to their resting place, the nocturnal birds of prey begin their daily routine.
- The view of nocturnal birds of prey is adapted to darkness, being able to see in total darkness. Daytime girls have an excellent sense of vision, but they need light to see.
- Night birds of prey are able to detect the slightest sound due to the physiognomy of their ears, located on either side of the head, but at different heights.
- The feathers of nocturnal birds are different from day ones because have a velvety appearance, which serves to reduce the sound they emit during the flight.
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names of birds of prey
The group of diurnal birds of prey is composed of over 300 different speciesSo let's go into some details about the characteristics and also some photos of the birds of prey. Check out our list:
Red-headed Vulture (Cathartes aura)
O red-headed vulture it is what we know as the "new world vulture" and belongs to the cathartidae family. Their populations span across the American continent, with the exception of northern Canada, but its breeding areas are limited to Central and South America. butcher animal. It has black plumage and a red, plucked head, its wingspan is 1.80 meters. It lives in many different habitats, from the Amazon rainforest to the Rocky Mountains.
Royal Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
THE Royal Eagle is a very cosmopolitan bird of prey. It is found throughout the Asian continent, in Europe, in certain areas of North Africa, and in the western part of the United States. This species occupies a wide variety of habitats, flat or mountainous, from sea level to 4,000 meters. In the Himalayas, it has been seen at an altitude of over 6,200 meters.
It is a carnivorous animal with a very varied diet, being able to hunt mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians, insects, and also carrion. Their fangs do not exceed 4 kilos. They usually hunt in pairs or small groups.
Common Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
O common goshawk or Northern Goshawk inhabits the entire North hemisphere, with the exception of the polar and circumpolar zone. It is a medium sized bird of prey, with about 100 centimeters in wingspan. It is characterized by its belly spotted in black and white colors. The dorsal part of its body and wings are dark gray. It inhabits forests, preferring areas close to the edge of the forest and clearings. Your diet is based small birds and micro mammals.
European Hawk (Accipiter nisus)
O harpy eagle inhabits many regions of the Eurasian continent and North Africa. They are migratory birds, in winter they migrate to southern Europe and Asia, and in summer they return to the north. They are solitary birds of prey, except when they nest. Their nests are placed in the trees of the forests where they live, near open areas where they can hunt small birds.
Golden Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)
Another example in the list of birds of prey is the vulture, also known as the Torgo Vulture, is an endemic species to Africa and is in danger of extinction. In fact, this bird has already disappeared from many regions it used to inhabit.
His plumage is brown and he has a bigger, harder and stronger beak than the other species of vultures. This species lives in dry savannas, arid plains, deserts and open mountain slopes. It's mostly an animal butcher, but is also known for hunting small reptiles, mammals or fish.
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Secretary (Sagittarius serpentarius)
O secretary is a bird of prey found in Sub-Saharan Africa, from southern Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia and northern Guinea to the east, to southern Africa. This bird lives in fields, from open plains to lightly wooded savannahs, but is also found in agricultural and sub-desert areas.
It feeds on a wide variety of prey, mainly insects and rodents, but also from other mammals, lizards, snakes, eggs, young birds and amphibians. The main characteristic of this bird of prey is that, although it flies, it prefers to walk. In fact, she don't hunt your prey in the air, but it hits them with its strong and long legs. The species is considered vulnerable to extinction.
Other daytime birds of prey
Do you want to know more species? So here are the names of others day birds of prey:
- Andean Condor (vultur gryphus);
- King vulture (sarcoramphus pope);
- Iberian Imperial Eagle (Aquila Adalberti);
- Screaming eagle (clanga clanga);
- Eastern Imperial Eagle (that heliac);
- Raptor eagle (aquila rapax);
- African Black Eagle (Aquila verreauxii);
- Domino eagle (aquila spilogaster);
- Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus);
- Common Vulture (Gyps fulvus);
- Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus);
- Long-billed Vulture (Gyps indicus);
- White-tailed Vulture (african gyps);
- Osprey' (pandion haliaetus);
- Peregrine Falcon (falco peregrinus);
- Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus);
- Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni);
- ogeous (Falco subbuteo);
- Merlin (falco columbarius);
- Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus).
To learn more about the animal world, see our article on types of canaries.
If you want to read more articles similar to Birds of prey: species and characteristics, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.