Bird of prey

Birds of prey, or raptors, are hypercarnivorous birds that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates, such as mammals, reptiles, and smaller birds. They possess keen eyesight for detecting prey from a distance or during flight, strong feet with sharp talons for grasping or killing, and powerful, curved beaks for tearing flesh. While they primarily hunt live prey, many species—including fish eagles, vultures, and condors—also scavenge and eat carrion. Ornithologists typically use a narrower definition of the term, excluding many piscivorous predators like storks, cranes, herons, gulls, and kingfishers, as well as primarily insectivorous birds such as nightjars and shrikes, and opportunistic omnivores like crows and ravens. Some extinct predatory birds, including mousebird relatives and Messelasturidae, had talons similar to modern raptors, suggesting possible common descent, while some Enantiornithes also had such talons, indicating possible convergent evolution.

The term "raptor" comes from the Latin *rapio*, meaning "to seize or take by force." Common names for various birds of prey are based on structure rather than evolutionary relationships. Eagles are large, powerful birds with long, broad wings and massive feet; booted eagles have feathered legs and build large stick nests. Falcons and kestrels are medium-sized with long, pointed wings and are swift flyers, belonging to the family Falconidae. True hawks, usually of the genus *Accipiter*, are woodland birds that hunt by sudden dashes from a concealed perch and have long tails for tight steering. Buzzards are medium-large raptors with robust bodies and broad wings, known as "hawks" in North America. Harriers are slender, hawk-like birds with long tails and thin legs, using keen eyesight and hearing to hunt over grasslands and marshes. Kites have long wings and relatively weak legs, soaring for much of their time and feeding on insects or carrion. The osprey is a single species worldwide that specializes in catching fish. Owls are typically night-specialized hunters that fly almost silently due to special feather structure, with acute hearing and nocturnal eyesight. The secretary bird is a single species with a large body and long legs endemic to Sub-Saharan African grasslands. Vultures are scavengers of two distinct families: Old World vultures (Accipitridae) in the Eastern Hemisphere, and New World v