Birds that hunt animals primarily through flight and aerial attack use their senses, especially vision. They are defined as predator birds, first of all, hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their claws and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful, and adapted for tearing flesh. In most cases, females are significantly larger than males. The term "raptor" comes from the Latin word rapere (meaning to capture or take by force), and may refer informally to all such hunters, or specifically to day-old groups. Because their predatory lifestyle is often at the top of the food chain they encounter. Many types birds of prey may be semi-predatory or fully carnivorous. However, in ornithology, the term "bird of prey" is applied only to the feathered families listed below.
Definition.
Strictly speaking, the term " predatory bird" has a broad meaning that includes many birds that hunt and eat animals, as well as birds that feed on very small insects. In ornithology, there is a definition that is used here, this term has a narrower meaning for game birds, which have very good eyesight for searching for food, strong legs with sharp claws for catching food, and a strong, strong, curved beak for tearing flesh. Majority carnivorous birds, also have strong curved claws for capturing or killing prey. Predator birds They tend to hunt vertebrates, which tend to be quite tall relative to the large size of the birds themselves. Most also feed on carrion, at least occasionally. Vultures and condors feed on carrion, this is their main source of food. As an example, the narrower definition also excludes gulls, which are birds of prey that catch and eat fairly large fish, in part because these birds of prey catch and kill prey whole with their beaks and, like skuas, feed on fish and vertebrates. Using this cluster of morphological and behavioral characteristics, the species listed below are typically found for carnivorous birds in ornithology. They can be divided into species that hunt during the day and those that hunt at night, e.g. Birds of Prey and owls distantly related and classified into separate families, however, their evolution was convergent, both groups of birds adapted to a predatory lifestyle.
History of classification.
The systematics of Carl Linnaeus grouped birds (class Aves) into orders, families and species, without formal series between genera and orders. He placed everyone birds of prey into one order, divided into four genera: Vultur (vultures), Falco (eagles, hawks, falcons, etc.), Strix (owls), and Lanius (shrikes). This approach was then used by subsequent authors such as Gmelin, Albany, and Turnton.
Classification, division into day and night predators.
Daytime birds of prey, are formally divided into five families (the traditional family classification at present):
Accipitridae: hawks, eagles, buzzards, vultures;
Pandionidae: osprey (sometimes classified as a subfamily of the previous family Pandioninae);
Sagittariidae: secretary bird;
Falconidae: falcons, caracaras;
Cathartidae: vultures including condors.
Night birds of prey, include such representatives as - owls - are classified separately as members of two extant families, families:
Strigidae: typical owl;
Tytonidae: barn owls.
Observations indicate that otherwise unrelated groups of birds can perform similar ecological functions and contain many morphological similarities to each other, explained by the concept of convergent evolution.
Common names.
Common names for various birds of prey are determined on the basis of structure, but many traditional names do not reflect the evolutionary relationship between the groups.
Falco rusticolus (gyrfalcon). The largest falcon in the world, the so-called “ghostly” Gyrfalcon, nicknamed for its distinctive “smoky” coloration, is one of the most fierce birds of prey in the upper Arctic.
Accipiter striatus. The smallest hawk in North America. At the same time, he is the most daring and dexterous acrobat in the air. They have distinctive proportions: long legs, short wings, and very long tails, which they use to maneuver when hunting in dense groves, chasing birds and mice at breakneck speed.
- variable in size, usually nocturnal birds of prey - specialized hunters. They fly almost silently thanks to special feather structures that reduce turbulence. They have particularly acute hearing.
- is one of the largest, fastest and most agile birds among both eagles in particular and birds of prey in general. Shiny golden feathers adorn the back of the head and neck; demonstrates its hunting prowess with its powerful beak and claws.
- as a rule, large birds of prey with long, wide wings, a powerful beak and massive legs also have feathers on their legs. They build very large nests.
- a bird of prey of one species, found all over the world, specializes in catching fish and has paws with curved claws adapted for this. They build large nests, the diameter of which can reach 2 meters.
- have long wings and relatively weak legs. They spend a significant portion of their time flying. They catch live vertebrate prey, but primarily feed on snakes.
- medium to large birds of prey with robust sensory organs and broad wings, include members of the genus Accipitidae (also known as "Buteo" in North America).
- big as hawks predator birds, with long tails and long thin legs. Most use a combination of keen vision and hearing to hunt small vertebrates, gliding on their long, broad wings and circling low over grasslands and swamps.
— predatory bird The scavengers are divided into two distinct biological families: Accipitridae, which is found only in the Eastern Hemisphere, and American vultures, which is found only in the Western Hemisphere. Members of both groups have heads partially or completely devoid of feathers.
— predatory bird, is a small, slender falcon that hunts large insects and birds. A very powerful and swift bird.
Diurnal predators hunt during the day, a few - at dusk (broad-mouthed and other twilight kites, sometimes aletas, hobbies), and at night - none. The birds are medium in size, but there are also small ones - pygmy falcons, with a wingspan of about 25 centimeters, and very large ones - the black vulture, condors: a wingspan of up to 3 meters. However, there are fewer pelicans, marabou and albatrosses. The weight of eagles is up to 9, condors - up to 12, black vultures - up to 14 kilograms.
Monogamous. Some couples do not break up for years (hawks, golden eagles). Only females incubate (hawks, harriers, forest falcons, hobby falcons, saker falcons, snake eaters, secretaries, etc.). Some also have males (buzzards, kites, vultures, vultures, caranchos, vultures, buzzards, etc.). However, the issue of the division of labor between female and male has not been completely resolved. Many, including such renowned researchers as Oscar Heinroth and G.P. Dementyev, argue that in all, at least typical diurnal birds of prey, the female incubates. The male only brings her prey, sometimes for a short time, for two hours, and replaces her.
Nests are in trees, in hollows, in niches of rocks, less often on the ground (harriers, steppe eagles, sometimes carancho, peregrine falcons, merlins, falcons, ospreys), even sometimes in burrows (kestrels). In the clutch of large predators there are 1-2 eggs, in medium-sized ones 3-4 and up to 9 in small ones. They incubate from the first egg for about a month, large species - twice as long. For most chicks, chicks leave the nest after a month; for large vultures, after 3-4 months. Sexual maturity in large birds (California condors) is 6 years.
Eagles live in captivity up to 50 years or more, hawks - up to 25 years. And one condor lived in the Moscow Zoo for 69 years!
There are about 270 species in the order, according to other estimates - 291 species. The range of the order is the whole world, except for Antarctica and some small islands. Five families. American vultures: 6 - 7 species, Secretaries: 1 species (Africa), Ospreys: 1 species (almost the whole world), Hawks: 198-208 species (all over the world), Falcons: 58-60 species (all over the world). Some taxonomists do not distinguish the osprey into a special family, combining it with hawks. There are other divisions of the order of birds of prey.
The bird of prey is endowed with special weapons - everyone recognizes it. This tearing beak, curved with a sharp hook, and claws, piercing the victim in a death grip, are clearly an offensive weapon, which all birds of prey successfully use in robber raids. All? More precisely, almost everything. Some, having evolved over centuries, lost the habit of dashing attacks on game - they preferred carrion and became scavengers, corpse eaters. This unattractive tendency should not turn us away: the role of corpse-eating birds in the life of nature is very great!
Others (American caracal, African vulture eagle) were inclined by nature to vegetarianism. They eat a lot of fruits of palm trees and other plants. Still others preferred mollusks (slug-eating kite) or fish (osprey) to all the gifts of the edible world. On the other hand, seagulls, crows, magpies, even albatrosses and petrels, storks, some parrots will not refuse, on occasion, to kill and eat someone’s poorly guarded chicks, some small bird, a hare, a chicken, a mouse, a weasel. .. In a word, a certain predation is in their nature. Therefore, recently, some respected researchers have proposed abandoning the old name of the order “birds of prey” and using something else - “eagles” or “hawks”. The logic is consistent with this proposal, especially since we know of another order of pure predators - owls, or nocturnal birds of prey. They are not closely related to diurnal ones. Nevertheless, they are armed in the same way and perform in the same role (only mainly at night!) in the arena of life. “Their kinship relationships with copepods (cormorants, pelicans, etc.) and with a group of heron-storks are quite definite... In the evolutionary series, birds of prey, in general, appear to be higher than copepods, heron-storks and chickens, but significantly lower than passerines. In the development of their chicks, a certain similarity with storks is noticeable: the birth of the chicks is already sighted and covered in down, the rapid replacement of the first downy robe by the second... (which herons do not have)... Copepods are born naked and blind, they become overgrown with down only later. One can rightfully call birds of prey, storks and herons “fake chicks”... If the nest is not very high, the chicks will soon crawl out of it, which usually happens with harriers nesting on the ground. Birds of the true chick type leave their cradle only when they are fully feathered and already able to fly. Think, for example, of pigeons and swallows” (Oscar and Magdalena Heinroth). But there are no chicks yet.
Spring. The revived nature is seething with active life. At dawn, black grouse gallop through forest clearings and meadows, and capercaillie gallop in the forests and high bogs. White partridges scream in the pre-dawn darkness... Birds of prey also display. During the day. With a special mating flight and cry, they declare their readiness to unite in pairs in accordance with their species and gender. A single male kestrel invites a female with a ritual flight from top to bottom to some old crow's nest of his choice. When it is found, the birds together will slightly renovate the nest, bring fresh bedding and hatch chicks in it. The goshawk with a sharp cry of “gig-gig-gig” notifies the surrounding area of its mating intentions. Often married couples, for example among hawks, are inseparable for years. An alien male trying to destroy their union with his invasion is at great risk. They attack him together, the female with particular fury, and it happens that she kills the uninvited suitor, plucks him, tears him into pieces and eats him. In the spring, half a dozen killed and plucked male contenders were found near the nest of one such friendly hawk pair. The females of many birds of prey are larger than the males. In sparrowhawks, this predominance in weight and strength of the “weaker” sex over the “strong” is especially noticeable: the male is a third smaller. In other species, the difference is almost the same (falcons) or not so great (American vultures), and there is none at all, or even the male is larger, for example, in condors. The difference in strength also determines the “type” of prey: the male sparrowhawk catches small birds, the female catches larger ones, even pigeons and partridges. Although she herself is larger than her husband, she is also not very large - her weight is 200-300 grams. Look how nature wisely ordered: a large female incubates eggs: the larger the volume of the hen, the better the shelter for the eggs. The small male brings her, and later the chicks, prey: small birds. But these are what chicks need in the first days of life! Later, when they grow up and climb out of the nest onto neighboring branches, the female also flies to hunt. In the meantime, sitting in the nest, molting, not wasting time. The male molts two to three weeks later.
The hawk looks out for prey from a hiding place in a tree or conducts reconnaissance in low flight over bushes and thick grass. It also returns to the nest low above the ground. Hawks fly high only in the spring, when they are mating. Kites, vultures and condors bring prey into the crop and then regurgitate it to the chicks. Hawks and falcons transport in their talons, and the bearded vulture sometimes transports in its beak. The male does not feed the chicks himself, at least in hawks and hobbies, but gives what he brought to the female. She first plucks feathers or wool, then tears the victim into small pieces and distributes it to the chicks. The male sparrowhawk usually warns the female from afar with a special cry that he is carrying food. She flies out and picks her up. Or, flying over the nest, the male throws prey into it. If the mother dies, then the chicks also die when they are very small and cannot themselves tear apart the birds brought by the male. The father just throws them and throws them into the nest, filling up the starving chicks with food. But sometimes an old instinct awakens in the male, and he begins, if the female has died, to tear the prey into pieces and “feed the chicks.
The eyes of chicks, even of those birds of prey whose corneas later turn yellow, are always black, clearly visible against the background of their white or gray-white downy plumage. This is an evocator! A visible sign that encourages parents to feed their offspring. Having had enough, the chicks turn their backs to the parent. Then he does not see the black eyes and stops feeding. One day in a sparrowhawk's nest, 4. which was being watched by zoologists, one already well-fed chick awkwardly fell over on its back. The mother saw his black eyes turned to her, and poked and shoved a bloody piece of meat into his beak. But the chick did not want to eat, he closed his demanding mouth. Then she put the persistently offered food between his eyes!
For many birds of prey, family holdings, so to speak, are divided into two categories: nesting territory and hunting territory. As a rule, between them lies no man's land, or neutral land, since the nest is usually not hunted and various small birds nest here in safety. “Once I had to witness a sad picture. Along the road in the steppe there was a line of telegraph poles and under almost every tenth pole there were the remains of an eagle... Why, why were they killed? I received the answer from the driver: “Just like that, sitting on a pole - well, how can you not try a gun!” (V. E. Flint). “But he’s a predator, why feel sorry for him, he’s harmful...” - many more will say when it comes to showing mercy to beaten eagles, hawks, falcons... A special conversation is needed here.
Several years ago, on the pages of the magazine “Hunting and Hunting Management,” there was a discussion, the significance of which will only be fully appreciated by posterity. It all started with an article by Professor G. P. Dementyev “Is it necessary to exterminate birds of prey?” The professor wrote that in many countries of the world, feathered predators are protected by law. In England, for example, since 1954 it has been prohibited to destroy the nests and kill peregrine falcons, merlins, hobby hawks, buzzards, golden eagles and even goshawks. The kestrel and osprey are also protected. Only the sparrowhawk, the killer of songbirds, is outlawed, so to speak. Live falcons and hawks for falconry, which is increasingly becoming fashionable in the West, are allowed to be caught only under special licenses. Both in the Middle Ages and in ancient times, people loved and took care of birds of prey. In England and Denmark, for example, a person who killed a falcon had to deal with an executioner. But then, as has happened more than once in history, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction: birds of prey were declared enemies and began to be mercilessly exterminated. Was it beneficial? No, only harm!
Upland game, wood grouse in particular, has become significantly less abundant. They also say that at about the same time, in the former Smolensk province, Count Uvarov and the manufacturer Khludov, on their estates, “led a campaign of merciless extermination of predators by the forces of local residents.” For killed hawks, peasants and rangers were rewarded with money, gunpowder and shot. The beating lasted for three years: almost all predators of all species were shot, and... immediately “a mass death of squirrels, hares, and black grouse began.” Both Uvarov and Khludov hastened to rectify the situation: again, for money, they began to buy live predators from peasants, which they had caught in neighboring forests, and released them on their estates. Professor G.P. Dementyev said in his article that the famous falconer Eittermozer noticed that falcons often attack not the nearest bird, but ... an abnormal one that flies differently from others. He decided to check, maybe predators do not grab everyone indiscriminately, but prefer to attack sick birds? Eittermoser began to let ten of his falcons fly at the crows. Birds of prey shot down 136 crows. They were carefully examined: 81 crows were not found to have any physical ailments, but the other 55 were clearly not feeling well before they fell into the claws of the falcon. Then, in the same area, the experimenters, without the help of falcons, killed one hundred crows themselves. They shot everyone indiscriminately: among the hundred there were 79 healthy people, and 21 sick people, that is, in percentage terms, half as many as among the falcons. There can be only one conclusion: falcons clearly prefer to attack sick birds! Why?
Recently, zoologists who have observed other predators - four-legged and marine, have noticed that they also have the same tendency - to hunt sick and wounded animals. Does this reveal a kind of biocenological instinct, that is, an instinct that rises above species interests and ensures the survival of the entire community of species - the biocenosis? Or maybe it’s just easier to get patients? The latter is indisputable: after all, catching birds is not an easy task even for feathered aces. Approximately every two pigeons out of three that the peregrine falcon swoops on escape unharmed. Only one of the three pigeons attacked falls, cut by his claws. Zoologist V.M. Gusev observed different species of birds of prey. He calculated that only 213 of the 3,441 attacks undertaken by predators before his eyes ended successfully. Successful for the predator, but not for the prey, of course. It is clear that feathered pirates prefer to attack sick animals: they are not so attentive and not so fast. They often keep to themselves, alone. Healthy brothers, obeying instinct, usually expel them from the pack. It is known, this has also been experimentally proven, that many animals, birds and fish in schools suffer fewer losses from predators than those divided into pairs or individuals. And the point here is not only in the increased vigilance of animals united in packs, but also in some special psychological property of the collective, which confuses the attacking enemy. This property was called the confusion effect.
In 1962, 1,154,700 “harmful” birds were destroyed in our country. And how many wounded animals died! How many killed birds were not registered at all! The discussion of the magazine “Hunting and Game Management” has borne fruit. On June 1, 1964, it was worthily crowned by Order No. 173 of the Main Directorate of Hunting and Nature Reserves: “...Taking into account new data on the biology of birds of prey and the significant benefits they bring in agriculture, hunting, forestry and health care, I order: Prohibit shooting, trapping and destruction of nests of all types of birds of prey, etc. owls in public hunting grounds throughout the RSFSR."
http://monax.ru/order/ - essays to order (more than 2300 authors in 450 cities of the CIS).5
Diurnal predators
This order includes about 270 species. These are birds of medium and large size. One of the largest species - the American condor - has a wing about 115 cm long, a wingspan of up to 275 cm. The smallest birds of prey - the so-called pygmy falcons - have a wing 9-10 cm long.
Predators are characterized by a strong, hook-shaped beak curved at the end, the base of which is covered with bare, brightly colored skin - a cere, into which the external openings of the nostrils open. The legs of birds of prey are of moderate length, with curved and usually sharp claws (only secretaries have long legs). The claws and beak are used for killing, and the latter for dismembering prey. The toes are relatively long; there are pads on the plantar side that serve to hold food. The body is dense, the plumage is rigid and tight to the body. The color is usually not bright, mostly gray, brown, red or black, often with an admixture of white. In some species that feed on carrion, the head and part of the neck are bare and unfeathered.
In most species, females and males are colored similarly, but young birds in the first year, sometimes later, differ from adults in color. Typically, males are smaller than females, but in Old World vultures both sexes are the same size, and in American condors, males are larger than females.
Birds of prey are diurnal, only a few of them are crepuscular.
Predators are widespread all over the world: they are absent only in Antarctica and on some ocean islands.
In northern and temperate latitudes, some species are migratory, while others are sedentary and wander outside the breeding season.
The lifespan of birds of prey is quite significant. There are known cases when the buffoon eagle lived in captivity for 55 years, the golden eagle - 46 years, the condor lived in captivity for 69 years, and the goshawk - 25 years. Banding data also shows that medium-sized birds of prey live for at least about 15 years. These are hardly all deadlines.
Birds of prey breed once (rarely twice) a year. Nests have a simple structure, usually in trees, sometimes in hollows, on rocks, on the ground. They often occupy ready-made nests built by another bird species. Usually the same pair nests in the same nesting area year after year. The number of eggs varies - from 1-2 (in large species) to 6-7 and even 9 (in small ones).
Incubation begins after the first egg is laid, and the chicks in the brood are therefore of different ages. The female incubates mainly, the male replaces her only for a short time. Large species incubate for almost 2 months (for example, condor, bearded vulture). Medium-sized species incubate for about a month.
The chicks emerge from the eggs well-furred and sighted, but during their stay in the nest they need feeding and heating, as well as protection from enemies. There are two downy peoples, the second is replaced by a feather one. Flight from the nest in small and medium-sized species of predators occurs at approximately one month of age, in large vultures - only at three or even four months.
The main food of birds of prey consists of various animals, primarily mammals, birds and insects. Birds of prey often feed on carrion. Few of them feed on plant foods (for example, the African vulture eagle feeds on the fruits of Guinea and wine palms, the Guinea caracara on the fruits of Loranthus and Clusia). Some species feed on a wide range of foods, others are highly specialized.
Under natural conditions, birds of prey eat prey with bones, fur, and feathers, the undigested remains of which are periodically thrown out through the mouth in the form of so-called grebes.
Most birds of prey search for prey by flying. In this regard, they have well-developed vision and the ability to fly.
Birds of prey molt once a year, after the end of the breeding season. The molt is complete. It continues for a long time, which is due to the need to preserve the bird’s flight qualities.
The practical importance of birds of prey for human economic activity, in general, should be assessed positively. Most of them provide direct benefit by eating rodents and insects that are harmful to land ownership. Others, destroying primarily sick and weak individuals, is a significant selection factor. Even those birds of prey that feed mainly on game or otherwise useful animals cannot cause significant damage, since the total number of these species is low and they are relatively numerous only in sparsely populated areas. Therefore, birds of prey are currently protected in one form or another in most countries. At the same time, the undoubted importance of birds of prey as natural monuments is also taken into account.
The use of birds of prey by humans for hunting purposes - so-called falconry, or hunting with birds of prey - dates back to ancient times, although much of the history of this hunt remains unclear. Archaeological finds show that the British Isles had birds of prey as early as the Bronze Age. In Mesopotamia, falconry was known at least in the 8th century BC. e. The heyday of falconry in Europe dates back to approximately the 12th-17th centuries, and its beginning is to some extent connected with the Crusades, when the crusaders could become familiar with the practice of falconry among the Arabs. Profound social changes that arose at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 19th centuries, technological innovations, primarily the spread of hunting weapons, caused the decline of hunting with birds of prey. However, it has survived, but on a smaller scale.
In our country, the use of birds of prey for hunting “by the feather by the beast” has a long history: in Kievan Rus it dates back to at least the 10th century. The ancestral emblem of the ancient Rurikovichs depicted a flying falcon in the Asian part of the former Soviet Union - in Central Asia - it probably has an even more ancient history, but there is little definite information about it. This, of course, is connected with the complex history of the peoples of Central and Central Asia.
In the European part of the former Soviet Union, sport hunting with birds of prey ceased at the beginning of this century. Only on the Black Sea coast of Georgia they still hunt migrating quails with sparrowhawks. As a sport and a trade, hunting with birds of prey takes place in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and on a small scale in Turkmenistan.
Different types of birds of prey were used for hunting, mainly various falcons and hawks, in Asia - the golden eagle and some others. In our country, large falcons (saker falcon, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon), hawks (sparrowhawk and goshawk) and golden eagle served as birds of prey.
Taming and training birds of prey to hunt is not difficult, but requires patience from the hunter. You should always remember that birds of prey never become such “servants” of humans as dogs. It is not possible to tame a bird of prey to bring caught prey to its owner.
The service life of hunting birds depends on the experience of the hunters and on caring for the bird, as well as on various accidents. Falcons and goshawks last 3-4 years, but in good hands up to 20 or even 25 years. Golden eagles live the same number of years.
There are five families in the order of birds of prey. To the family American vultures There are 6 species common in North and South America. To the family secretaries- only 1 species inhabiting the savannas of Africa. To the family ospreys- 1 species with an almost cosmopolitan distribution, covering the extreme north and south. To the family hawkebinary- 205 species found all over the world, except Antarctica and some oceanic islands. Family falcons includes 58 species, distributed almost everywhere except Antarctica and some oceanic islands.
Forest, birds of prey and waterfowl. Wing structure and muscle development. Living conditions in open spaces. Seasonal flights in birds. Color and shape of eggs. Autumn formation of reserve energy sources. The role of birds in nature and human life.
abstract, added 06/19/2014
Classification and most important features of birds of prey. Composition of the order Falconiformes: falconids, accipitridines, ospreys, secretaries. The specificity of nocturnal birds of prey, which include owls, scops owls, eagle owls, and owls. Varieties of forest birds, their brief overview.
presentation, added 11/29/2013
Features of the lifestyle of birds of prey, their classification. Birds of the falcon family. The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird on Earth. Nesting area of the falcon. Territorial persistence of goshawks. Distribution of eagles, golden eagles and kites.
presentation, added 02/02/2016
A study of the method of separating predators according to taxonomic principles, the relationship between predator and prey, and population size. Descriptions of the characteristics of hunting, habitat and breeding of birds of prey. Analysis of the varieties and habitats of plants that feed on insects.
presentation, added 10/16/2011
Analysis of the species composition of birds of prey living in the territory of Belarusian Polesie. Study of the origin, appearance, biology, distribution areas, numerical composition of birds and its possible changes. Review of threat factors and measures to protect birds.
course work, added 12/14/2011
General information about birds of prey, in particular diurnal birds (falcons, hawks, harriers, eagles) and owls (eagle owls, owls, owls, owls), found on the territory of Moldova. Basic techniques for exterminating harmful predators in agriculture and hunting.
course work, added 02/25/2010
presentation, added 11/26/2016
Tree-dwelling prehensile-tailed animals of the Amazon. Species of animals that lead a terrestrial lifestyle. Amphibians and reptiles in the Amazon forests. Birds that live in the Amazon jungle. There are numerous different types of insects and spiders.
presentation, added 11/02/2010
Habitats, main diet of freshwater predators: asp (carp family), sturgeon - a representative of the most ancient freshwater fish, pike - one of the most voracious and numerous predators, perch - an ever-hungry inhabitant of rivers and catfish.
presentation, added 04/18/2016
Introduction to the main theories of the origin of birds. Lifestyle of forest birds of the order Woodpeckers and Galliformes. Biological features of hawks and owls. Characteristics of birds of cultural landscapes, their significance for nature and humans.
Birds - amazing creatures, which can not only delight the eye with their graceful plumage, but also delight with their speed, agility and beautiful flight. Among the known species of birds, birds of prey have always been of great interest to humans.
Born hunters, with magnificent curved claws, a keen eye and incredible agility, they are made to kill. When attacking their prey, these birds have no mercy. Falconiformes is an order of birds of prey, which includes the following prominent representatives: falcons, eagles, buzzards, hawks and others.
Not all birds that hunt for food are predators. Many species feed on various living creatures, however, they are not classified as birds of prey. This may surprise some, but the owls who lives quite a lot in Russia, are not considered birds of prey. Although they share many features with eagles and hawks, they are classified as nocturnal predators.
Although all birds of prey are carnivores, their diet may include not only reptiles and mammals, but even insects. The same applies to the shrike or skua.
Zoological taxonomy classifies only those birds of prey that belong to the order Falconidae as diurnal birds of prey. The most famous of them:
These are just some of the diurnal birds of prey that share a similar appearance: a downturned beak, curved and very sharp claws. The color of heterosexual representatives of these species is for the most part almost the same, however, females are several times larger than males. Taking this fact into account, it is possible to distinguish a male from a female even with the naked eye from the outside.
Enough large predator, which has a bright beautiful color: dark top with a gray tint, yellow eyes and light transverse stripes on the chest. The weight of an adult varies from 700 grams to 1.5 kilograms.
has long been classified as a harmful predator, but is now protected by Russian law and is protected like other species of diurnal birds of prey.
He hunts various birds, deftly and with predatory prowess, destroying crows, blackbirds and other birds. Does not disdain squirrels and even young hares. Mostly his victims are sick or wounded animals; they simply cannot escape from his tenacious paws and powerful beak.
The goshawk lives throughout almost the entire territory of the vast tundra and in the northern regions, along the floodplains of rivers in the southern tundra. It usually nests in very tall trees, and the eggs that the female hawk lays are light in color with spots of dark colors.
This is a bright representative of the order of diurnal birds of prey living in Russia. The weight of such an individual ranges from 4 to 7 kilograms, and the wingspan can reach up to 2 meters. It is worth noting that the distinctive feature of this handsome bird, its white tail, can only be observed in an adult bird that is more than three years old.
The young individual has a dark-colored tail, which is why it can be confused with a golden eagle or even an eagle. However, you can distinguish the bird during flight. The tail of an eagle will be wedge-shaped, while that of a golden eagle will be rounded.
The habitat of this predator is almost all of Russia, with the exception of waterless desert places and the Far North. This hunter nests in deciduous trees and only sometimes - on the rocks. In the nesting areas of the eagle, there will definitely be reservoirs and rivers nearby, where it can obtain the required quantities of fish and waterfowl, which it usually hunts.
In the open tundra, meeting an eagle is a great success. As a rule, the bird prefers not to nest in such places. In such areas, the eagle builds its nests on hills or cliffs.
Eagles are not distinguished by such devotion and fidelity as swans, but they are always constant in choosing a partner. The female usually lays up to three eggs, which are white in color and have small brown spots. In some cases, the spots may be ocher in color.
The eagle is an incredibly beautiful predator, listed in the Red Book. The conservation of this bird species is one of the priority tasks of Russian environmental legislation. This predator tends to avoid people, and there have been cases when the eagle migrated to distant rocks from its homes near water bodies when people often appeared there.
The falcon is an amazingly fast bird, a born hunter. The speed that a falcon is capable of developing during the hunt can reach more than 320 kilometers per hour. The predator feels incredibly confident in the sky and, as a rule, always overtakes the victim.
Falcons and eagles live in most of Russia, with the exception of the Arctic zone. Like eagles, falcons are often tamed by people and used in hunting expeditions. The falcon always remains a faithful and reliable friend to its owner.
Perfect vision, beautiful plumage, tenacious claws with steel strength, a massive curved beak are the distinctive features of a falcon and an eagle.
Like many other birds of prey in Russia, falcons are protected by law. Some species of falcons, such as peregrine falcons and gyrfalcons, are prohibited from being exported from the country.
Birds of prey that hunt their prey primarily at night are called nocturnal birds of prey. The most striking representative of this species is the owl, which has several subspecies:
While not everyone has ever seen rare representatives of daytime predators, the majority of the Russian population can see owls with enviable regularity in the urban environment, not to mention the forests, where they live in significantly larger numbers.
This is the largest representative of the entire family of owls, with a wingspan of up to 1.5 meters and a body length of more than 70 centimeters. Young owls are variegated in color, while older individuals are white with black spots on their heads. Owls have abundant feathering on their feet, yellow eyes, and a black beak.
The owl hunts rodents and some birds, such as gulls, buntings, waders and even ducks. Sometimes an owl can torment forest animals caught in a trap. For this reason hunters don't like owls and can destroy them when they meet.
More often than all other species of owls in the tundra and swampy areas you can meet the short-eared owl. In the winter months, this species wanders throughout Asia and Europe, and can even reach Africa and America.
The main difference between the short-eared owl and the polar owl is its size. The length of an adult bird ranges from 30 to 40 centimeters, and its wingspan is no more than 1 meter.
Its color has a brown or yellowish tint, its paws and beak are black. Its diet can include not only rodents, but also frogs and insects.
This owl can be classified as daytime predators. It has many similarities with the falcon, which is why it is often called the falcon owl. Sharp wings and a hunting style similar to a falcon, screams and incredible courage, a quick climb and lightning attack turn it into the best hunter among its relatives.
In Russia, the hawk owl is found in the tundra, where it enters floodplain areas from the north of the Ob.
On the pages of our website we have already written hundreds of times about dog breeds, caring for them, and made selections based on certain characteristics. But today we will take a break from earthly affairs and, for the sake of variety, we will talk about the lords of the sky - birds of prey. Of course, it will not be possible to list them all, because there are thousands of species, so we will talk about the most famous birds in Russia, Ukraine, as well as on the American continent.
Among the representatives of birds of prey in Russia there are both day and night hunters. The first include, for example, the families of hawks and falcons, and the second include barn owls and owls. They all have similar characteristics (sharp claws, good eyesight), but at the same time they are very different in size, feather color, hunting method, etc.
Birds of Prey of Russia - Black Kite (photo by Tim Ebbs).
Anyone who has ventured outside the city has probably seen this bird, albeit from afar - the kite flies quite high. The shulika (as the kite is often called) has a relatively small size, only 50-60 cm in length and 800-1100 g in weight. But the one and a half meter wingspan makes this predator more impressive.
The genus of kites includes several subspecies and their habitats are extensive - this bird of prey is very often found in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and is also distributed throughout Africa (except the Sahara), in southern Asia, in Northern Australia. It is worth noting that the kite is sometimes found even in big cities (Novosibirsk, Barnaul, etc.).
The diet includes fish, rodents, birds, frogs, insects, crustaceans, mollusks and even worms. Accordingly, the black kite most often nests in forests near lakes and rivers.
Birds of prey of Russia - White-tailed Eagle (photo from Donald Ogg).
The white-tailed eagle is another bird of prey of the hawk family, which lives throughout almost the entire territory of Russia. These sky hunters are very large - their body length is from 70 to 90 cm, they weigh from 4 to 7 kg, and their wingspan reaches 230 centimeters. Interestingly, males are significantly smaller than females.
Looking at the photo above, it is not difficult to guess that this species of eagles received its name because of the white color of its tail. By the way, in the list of the largest birds in Europe, the white-tailed eagle is placed in fourth place.
The black vulture is Russia's largest bird of prey (photo by Josh More).
Although this bird of prey is considered the largest in Russia, it lives only in the southeast of Altai and then in small numbers. Body length is from 75 cm to 1 meter, weight is from 7 to 12 kg, and the wingspan can reach three meters!
It is interesting that black vultures can fly great distances (up to 400 km) every day in search of food (they feed on carrion). They succeed in this thanks to their skillful ability to use rising currents of warm air for soaring flight.
Diurnal birds of prey - Golden Eagle (photo by Pionites melanocephalus).
Among the most famous birds of prey in Russia, of course, there is the Golden Eagle. Moreover, it lives throughout the Northern Hemisphere (including America), mainly in the mountains. Its large size (body length from 76 to 93 cm, weight from 2.8 to 6.7 kg and a wingspan of up to 2.4 meters) allows this bird to hunt not only rodents and birds, but also hares.
Very often, golden eagles are tamed and used for commercial hunting of the same hares, as well as foxes and even wolves. In the hawk family, the golden eagle is the largest of the genus of eagles.
Birds of Prey of Russia - Snowy Owl (photo by Colby Stopa).
This bird of prey is the largest of the order of owls that live in the tundra. Body length - from 55 to 70 cm, weight from 2 to 3 kg, wingspan - up to 166 cm. From the name it follows that the main color of the feathers is white, on which there are transverse dark streaks. This color allows the bird to camouflage itself against the background of snow.
Unlike many owls, the snowy owl hunts not only at night, but also during the day. The main diet is mice, especially lemmings (one owl can eat up to 1,600 of them in a year). Although this hunter also does not refuse small hares, partridges and fish.
Of course, there are many different birds of prey in North and South America, and one page is definitely not enough to tell about them all. Therefore, we will only touch on this topic by showing only a few interesting representatives of them.
Andean condor (photo by Paul Balfe).
It is the largest flying bird of prey in the Western Hemisphere - its wingspan reaches 3.1 meters and its weight is 15 kg. In addition, the Andean condor is a real long-liver - life expectancy is up to 50 years. Like other griffins, this predator is not a hunter, but a scavenger.
Birds of Prey of America - Barn Owl (photo by Dave Curtis).
We mentioned this bird of prey not only because of its prevalence (it lives on both American continents, except Canada and the northern regions of the USA), but also because of its unusual appearance. In Russia, the barn owl is found only in the Kaliningrad region.
These are nocturnal hunters, although their daytime vision is slightly impaired relative to the dark time of day. The diet of these birds is based on small rodents - rats, voles, hamsters, gerbils, etc.
Among the most common birds of prey on the territory of Ukraine is the shulika (aka the black kite, which we talked about above). Also, many of the birds described above partially live in this country.
Birds of Prey of Ukraine - photo by Kobchik (by Michele Lamberti).
This bird of prey from the genus of falcons has quite small dimensions - a wingspan of up to 77 cm, and a maximum weight of 200 grams. It is not difficult to guess that the falcon will not catch a hare - the basis of its diet are beetles, dragonflies, and grasshoppers. Sometimes it also catches lizards, small mice, and sparrows.
Photo of birds of prey - Great Gray Owl (photo by Sue Cro).
Another bird from the owl family, widespread throughout almost all of Europe. Its dimensions are average - body length up to 38 cm and weight from 400 to 640 g. In nature, these are nocturnal hunters.
This concludes our small selection of birds of prey. Let us remind you that there are still very, very many of them in the world, but our moment of diversity is ending and in the next article we will return again to our pets - dogs.
