Birds of prey are those birds that have sharp vision, sharp talons and hooked bills. These birds eat meat that they get by hunting. The prey birds are extremely good at hunting, and they do not let their prey go without tasting their sharp killing talons. There is a huge list of types of birds of prey, but I’ll try to explain each one with ease and in an organized manner. We’ll check them out all regarding cities, species, habitat, diet plan, etc.
Eagles, hawks, vultures, falcons, etc., are all types of prey. You can also call them raptors. This article will tell you all about their classes, habitat, dieting plans, hunting style, flying power, speed, demography, etc. So, to develop an unshakable understanding of the birds of prey, you need to check out the details I added below. But, before we head towards the major types of birds of prey, let’s take a birds-eye view of the table of contents.
Table of Content
- How To Identify Birds of Prey
- Diet of Prey Birds
- Lifespan of Prey Birds
- Different Types of Prey Birds
- Types of Birds of Prey UK
- Types of Birds of Prey in Ireland
- Types of Birds of Prey in Idaho
- Types of Birds of Prey in Texas
- Types of Birds of Prey in Florida
- Types of Birds of Prey in Illinois
- Types of Birds of Prey in Georgia
- Types of Birds of Prey in Colorado
How To Identify Birds of Prey
4 to 5 main things make you differentiate birds of prey from other species. There are more than 500 species of prey, but the most common is 10. The birds of prey list are massive, but I’ll provide you with the details of the 10 most common birds of prey in this article. These birds have long, strong talons, sharp eyesight, rounded heads, and hooked bills.
The most common types of bird of prey are Hawks, Falcons, Eagles, owls, and some others. When it comes to small birds of prey, these are owls; they are smaller than other raptors. Types of birds of prey vary with the seasonal changes, location changes, and of course, types of species. However, the biggest thing that gives you a hint of identifying a bird of prey is its powerful features to take a long and quick flight.
These birds are super good at hunting, and they can lift more weight than the weight of their bodies themselves. Each type of bird is different in size, habits, color, age, hunting style, and many other things.
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10 Different Types of Prey Birds
There are dozens of birds of prey you can spot all over the world, but when it comes to the USA, the top ten types are the most common. However, all types of birds of prey hint at skill, speed, and sharpness. They use their big strong feathers and killing talons to capture the target. Let’s look at the points below to develop a better understanding of birds of prey and their types.
1) Eagles
The Eagles are the largest birds of prey except for Vultures. There are various eagles such as bald eagle, steppe eagle, martial eagle, etc. It has strong long talons and wide feathers that help the bird take a smooth and sharp flight to follow the target. It migrates from one place to another because of seasonal changes and weather severities. They have a lot of power to lift bigger targets than the size of themselves. You can find these birds everywhere except in Antarctica.
Read Also: Difference between Falcon and Eagle
2) Kites
Kites do not have as powerful legs as other prey birds, but they have a wider wingspan than most prey birds. So when it comes to size kid kites, these are not so big. They love to eat Carrion and insects. You can easily spot them in forests and nearby communities as well.
3) Hawks
Hawks look like eagles somehow, and they have physical touches as the eagles do. The only major difference it shares with the eagle is a difference in size. It is smaller than eagles. However, it goes up to 5 feet, which is pretty big when it comes to wingspan. You can spot these birds on every regions except Antarctica. Usually, no birds live on this continent because of severe cold weather conditions.
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4) Osprey
Usually, people think that hawks and ospreys are the same, although they are not. If you want to spot osprey birds, you have to go near the beaches of the water. It is because it likes to eat fish all year. During the migratory season, you can easily spot them in South America. However, they live on all continents except Antarctica.
5) Secretary Bird
These are very rare but beautiful prey birds. Although some experts do not consider this bird a prey bird, it is. You can find them in the Sub Saharan region of South Africa only. They look similar to hawks, but their legs are odd. The legs of these birds look like crane birds.
However, if you want to learn about crane birds, you can read the types of crane birds. The standing height of Secretary Bird goes up to 4 feet, which is pretty massive. They like to eat tortoises, snakes, crabs, small birds, etc.
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6) Owls
There are hundreds of owl species on the earth, and you can spot them everywhere besides Antarctica. These are big, and the most common owl’s types are snowy owl, a barn owl, and a horned owl. They love to eat insects and rodents. You can spot them everywhere easily. The lifespan of these birds lies between 20 to 25 years.
7) Falcons
If we look at the bodies of eagles, hawks, and falcons, all three are the same somehow. When it comes to size, the eagles are bigger than hawks; hawks are bigger than falcons. It is why these are one of the smallest prey birds. These are the best birds for training purposes, and the speed of these birds is commendable. The rate goes up to 240 miles per hour. You can easily spot them anywhere except Antarctica again.
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8) Vultures
Vultures are probably the largest prey birds, with a wingspan of 10 feet, the biggest on the list. Except for Australia and Antarctica, you can spot them everywhere easily. The life span of these birds goes up to 30 years max. They do not follow live targets but lock in the target of other prey birds. They like to eat meat that is lifeless but hunted by other prey birds. You can call them opportunists.
9) Seriemas
The existence of these birds is seriously endangered as they are the only species of their parents left. These prey birds can fly but love to run, and you can easily spot them in South America. They like to eat insects, frogs, snakes, lizards, and small birds. They use sharp-shaped beaks and claws to trap their targets. Although they are so beautiful and not as impressive as most other prey birds, they still hunt with deadly attacks.
10) Caracaras
Last but least, the Caracaras look like falcons and are subspecies of the same. These are good hunters but not as good flyers as falcons are. They like to eat Carrion fly at a very slow pace. You can spot them in Central and South America. Their wingspan goes up to 5 feet, and their lifespan can go up to 20 years.
So, these are the ten major types of birds of prey that you can find in the different parts of the US. Almost all the birds I explained above are spotted everywhere in the world except Antarctica.
Diet of Prey Birds
There is a huge list of eateries when it comes to the diet of prey birds. The prey bird’s diet consists of fish, mammals including mice, voles, rabbits, small birds, reptiles, and amphibians such as frogs, lizards, snakes, grasshoppers, etc.
All types of birds of prey love to eat hunting meat, and they put effort into earning a flavorful meal. Moreover, the prey birds flying high is another distinct feature that no other birds usually have.
Prey Birds Lifespan
Every species has a different lifespan pattern, but if we look at the general lifespan that a bird of prey lives, it is around 15 years. If we look at the lifespan of the black vulture, it is about 10 years, and the king vulture’s lifespan goes up to 30 years. Other prey birds’ lifespans vary like hawks’ lifespan is between 10 to 15 years, Eagles can live up to 20 years, and owls’ lifespan is up to 25 years.
However, if you are interested in knowing about hawks in Florida, all the major and minor details, you can read the types of hawks in Florida. It is one of my recent articles containing all the information about hawks in Florida. And now we’ll head towards the different ten types of Birds of prey that are most common and most popular.
Most Common Birds of Prey in the UK
There are dozens of types of birds of prey that you can spot in the UK. Suppose we look at some popular and most common ones, Buzzard, Osprey, Redkite, Sparrowhawk, Golden Eagle, Goshawk, Merlin, Barn Owl, and many others. You can find all these types of birds of prey in the UK in the forests, nearby communities, nests on billboards, and other hidden spots.
Common Types of Prey Birds in Irland
If you reside in Ireland, you must know that Ireland is not a common habitat for prey birds except for some birds. However, you can find some specific Types of Birds of Prey in Ireland, such as the Golden Eagle, Barn Owl, Merlin, Red Kite, Peregrine Falcon, Hen Harrier, and Northern Goshawk. These are the most common prey birds you can easily spot in Ireland.
Birds of Prey Found in Idaho
If you live in Idaho and want to learn about the types of birds of prey in Idaho, you’ll find so many here. The list is so long and consists of Osprey, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, Western Screech Owl, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Barn Owl, Golden Eagles, and many others. To look at them from the closest distance, you will have to head towards forests and beaches.
Types of Prey Birds in Texas
Texas is a beautiful state in the US, and it has got fine weather conditions for prey birds. There are so many types of birds of prey in Texas that you find while roaming around. Some of these require effort to spot them.
The list contains Red-Shouldered Hawk, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Broad Winged Hawk, Cooper’s hawk, Black Vulture, Bald Eagle, White-tailed hawk, Grey Hawk, Barred Owl, Golden Eagle, and many others. However, if you find them in the forests, you need good-quality binoculars to view them with clarity. You can consider reading the best binoculars for wildlife viewing to buy one.
Common Types of Birds of Prey in Florida
Florida, a state of America, has very unpredictable weather patterns, and when the season gets off, the prey birds migrate from the state to other ones. You can spot them while migrating and some of them dwell the whole year in the same place.
The list of types of birds of prey in Florida consists of Eastern Screech Owl, Snail Kite, Burrowing Owl, Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Barred Owl, Owls, Eagles, Merlin, Great Horned Owl, etc.
Types of Birds of Prey in Illinois
If you live in Illinois, a very significant state in the US, and want to explore the birds of prey dwelling there, you will find various types of birds of prey in Illinois. There are several types of birds of prey, such as the American kestrel, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Rough-Legged Buzzard, Bald Eagle, Barred Owl, Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Screech Owl, Turkey Vulture, Hawk, Owl, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, and many others.
Birds of Prey Found in Georgia
Learning about the types of birds of prey in Georgia is fun. However, to view the various types of prey birds, you need the best binoculars for birding. Using an excellent pair of binoculars, you can see the prey birds under on top of the long trees and the spots visible with your naked eye.
In Georgia, there are so many different types of prey birds you can find, such as Peregrine falcon, Barn owl, Bald eagle, Turkey vultures, Merlin, Great Horned Owl, Cooper’s Hawk, American Kestrel, etc.
Types of Prey Birds in Colorado
If you are looking for the types of birds of prey in Colorado, you will get so many there. When birds take flight for migration in migratory seasons, you can see most of them in cities. Usually, these birds do not live near communities, and you have to visit forests, fields, and bushes to spot them.
When it comes to types of prey birds, you may find Red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, bald eagle, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged buzzard, Circinae, Osprey Broad-Winged Hawk, Swainson’s hawk, and more.
There are various types of birds of prey you can find all over the globe besides Antarctica; these Prey birds eat insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, frogs, lizards, grasshoppers, and many other such animals and birds. You can find most of the prey birds in South America, Australia, other countries, and the subcontinent.
Encapsulate Note
These birds love hunting and have powerful feathers to take smooth and sharp flights for attacking their targets. In addition, strong nails, powerful feet, and high-speed flying skills enable them to get their first meal every day.
The diversity of birds of prey is huge, and you can find almost 500 different species of prey birds around the globe. These birds have different habitats with unique skills of hunting and flying. Eagles, hawks, Falcons, owls, and kites are the most popular. You can spot most of them everywhere besides Antarctica.
The birds of prey have various characteristics that are distinct compared to other birds. You will find birds of prey with sharp claws, hooked beaks, powerful eyesight, strong talons, and wider feathers with a rounded head. They are super good at hunting and love to eat meat by gaining it from insects, animals, birds, reptiles, etc.