Instructional series: Birds of Prey. BIRDS OF PREY are carnivorous birds, some feed on living prey, some on dead flesh. Diurnal Birds of Prey: they hunt during the day, almost all are pests to us. Here is the GOSHAWK, searching for prey. It's looking fixedly ahead, an approaching bird. Its piercing sight allows it to discover its prey. It possesses a supplementary eyelid, translucent, that allows it to cover its eye when the sun is too strong. It reaches its prey thanks to its speedy flight, its wing is long and strong. Observe its nervous paw, its fingers, its nails. Its four fingers (3 in front) are covered with skin, scaly and armed with sharp and curved nails. It's a knife. Note the shape of its beak. It is hooked, its edges are sharp. It serves to tear the skin and cut the flesh. A little bird is perched on a branch, the predator hooks it and and squeezes it in its beak. It carries it to the ground, kills it with slashes from its beak, removes its feathers,cuts its flesh. SOME DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY. Here is a BROWN EAGLE in captivity: height, 0.70 meters, wingspan 3meters. The eagle lives on tall mountains, it makes its nest (area)on a rocky cliff. Head and beak of an eagle. The Condor is the largest bird of prey (1 meter tall) and lives on very tall mountains (in South America). Here is the VULTURE, note its long and bald neck…. …his crooked beak, his slotted nostrils ... . …its heavy tongue…. …and its collar of feathers. The vulture feeds on dead flesh. Here the fasting one, his jabot (at the base of his neck) is empty. He eats greedlily, and after the meal his jabot is full. The SNAKE EATER (size of a heron) attacks kills and eats snakes, and lives in the plains of southern Africa. The GOSHAWK and the BUZZARD inhabit the forests of Europe, and are 0.50meters tall. The Saint Martin Buzzard (size 0.40meters) eats rodents, note its long wings (wingspan 1.50m.) The SPARROWHAWK (size 0.30m) inhabits forest near cultivated fields, it is a bird destructor. He chases little birds and kills ferociously. Young sparrowhawks in their nest. The KESTREL (smaller than a pigeon). Young kestrels in their nest. Nocturnal birds of prey, hunt largely at dusk and at dawn, and are all useful to humans. TYTO spying on rodents. She has the size of a pigeon. Observe the head of the Tyto. Its eyes are placed at the front of the head, and are surrounded by a disk of feathers that almost hides the beak. Here is its beak cleared from feathers. ..Its fangs: note the little feathers that cover the feet, the fingers (two in front), and the curved nails. Watch how it holds its prey in its feet and tears at it with the beak. SOME NOCTURNAL BIRDS OF PREY. The GRAND DUKE is the largest nocturnal bird of prey (size 0.70m) and hunts the hare and the rabbit, and has two crests. Young MIDDLE DUKE or OWL: note its large open eyes, crests, and fluffy feathers. Here is the TAWNY or the BARN OWL, who eats rodents. The pygmy owl is one of the smallest birds of prey. END