Birds of prey:

 Nocturnal birds of prey fly and hunt in the dark. Thanks to their big eyes, which have many photosensitive cells, they can move easily through woods and fields looking for little mammals. Besides this , their sense of hearing is very acute, and they can detect and identify precisely the subtlest sounds. Once their prey has been detected, they start their flight, extremely quiet in comparison to the flight of their diurnal relatives. 

The common owlet (Athene noctua) is a rather common species. It is one of the tiniest birds of prey, it only weights 150 gr.

 

 

The barn owl (Tyto alba) is a usual inhabitant of bell towers, country houses and barns. Its heart-shaped face makes it easy to differenciate from other nocturnal birds of prey, such as the Tawny Owl or the Eagle Owl. 

 

 

 

 

 

When we talk about diurnal birds of prey, we include different groups: eagles, hawks, vultures, kites, goshawks...

The body of a diurnal bird of prey is more slender than that of a nocturnal bird of prey. Its beak and legs have fewer feathers and its face is not so round and flat. 

All of them have their sight specially designed for hunting. At night, good hearing is critical, but in daylight, it is even more important to have sharp sight.

Their image resolution is better than ours and, moreover, they can detect a prey moving at a far distance. If we compare their sight to ours, theirs is 8 times sharper!

 

We usually use the name “vultures” to describe those birds that eat dead animals (carrion). In the Iberian Peninsula we can find 4 species of carrion eaters, the most common being the so-called “common” vulture (Gyps fulvus). At first sight, we can notice its long and naked neck. Its head is covered by down, because it is more practical and clean when they eat. The measurements of this species are amazing: 240 to 280 cm from one wing to the other and 8 kg weight! 
 

 

 

 

 

The eagles stand out, most of all, due to their claw’s strength and to their hunting skills.

The eagle of Verreaux (Aquila verreauxii) is an African eagle that can hunt little antelopes.   

 

 

 

 

 

The eagle of the steppes (Aquila nipalensis)

 

comes from the Orient, from the Nepal. It is an excellent glider that reaches a very high altitude, thanks to its good use of the flows of warm air. The gliding flight consumes little energy and, thanks to that, they can make long distances with minimum effort. Folding its wings, the eagle dives and sometimes reaches 120 km/hour. 

 

 

The buzzards are other members of the eagle’s family. They look like little eagles, especially during their flight, and for that reason it’s not easy to tell the difference between an eagle and a buzzard. The prominent eyebrows give them the look so common to some birds of prey.

They often spend many hours standing on trees or posts, looking out at the field or the undergrowth, stalking unwary rabbits or mice. 

The common buzzard (Buteo buteo), is a species very common and abounding in Europe. The red tail buzzard (Buteo jamaicensis) is from North America. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Hawks are very different from eagles and vultures. They are medium sized, their wings are thin and they are extremely good at catching their prey whilst flying. Their usual habitat is the open field, where they can chase their prey at a high speed. In fact, the fastest of them all is the pilgrim hawk, which can reach 300 km/hour when diving. Their robust, aerodynamic body and their fast winging make it possible to reach that speed. 

The hawks are nervous creatures, not as calm as their nocturnal relatives. For that reason, when they are trained for hunting, a hood covers their heads when they are not flying in order to keep them calm.
 

Can we touch them?
No! Birds of Prey are distrustful by nature and may well interpret such contact as aggression.

What do they eat?
Their diet here is very similar to that which they would have in the wild. This includes rabbit, mice, quail and chicken.