British Birds of Prey.

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1 British Birds of Prey. How do we decide which birds can be called a bird of prey? Some people think it is because they hunt and eat other animals BUT there are many birds that do this. Robins eat worms, thrushes eat snails, puffins eat fish, blue tits eat caterpillars and even wrens eat spiders [you might think that is a good thing!!] So what is it then? The reason is that all these birds use their beaks to catch their food -BUT- a true Bird of Prey catches its food, called prey, with its feet, before transferring it to its beak! This is what makes them different. Birds of prey are sometimes called Raptors meaning to grab or seize and are divided into groups or families and the main ones are: Buzzards and Hawks Falcons Kites Harriers Eagles Vultures Owls Osprey Apart from the vultures, there are examples of all these groups to be found in the U.K. and some of them are quite common. Most are diurnal, they hunt by day, but some of the owls are nocturnal and hunt after dark. So what do you have to look out for to know that it is a bird of prey or raptor? Strong, powerful feet Sharp, curved talons Strong, hooked beak Excellent powers of flight Very good eyesight and hearing

2 Buzzards and Hawks. There are 3 fairly common examples of this group to be found in this country. They are the Eurasian or Common Buzzard, the sparrowhawk and the goshawk. The most likely one you will see is the buzzard, a broad-winged soaring bird which spends a great deal of time high above farm and woodland searching for prey. They are common in the west of the country but have now spread as far as London and the eastern counties The buzzard is our most common diurnal bird of prey The two hawks are far more secretive and we may see a fleeting glimpse of them as they dash through woods and gardens using their short wings and long tails Buzzards eat a lot of carrion but catch rabbits and mice as well and are very fond of earthworms! They often hunt by sitting still on telegraph poles. Sparrowhawks catch small and medium sized birds such as sparrows, blue tits, blackbirds and starlings, sometimes from our bird tables! The much larger goshawk can easily cat ch rabbits and birds up to the size of pheasants and are much rarer than the other two. Which of these birds catch the largest prey?... Which of these birds in the most common?... One of them likes earthworms, which one?. What does diurnal mean?.. Which hawk might raid the bird table? Why do you think the buzzard is called Eurasian?

3 Falcons It is possible to see five members of this group in this country but one is only a summer visitor and another is extremely rare Two are large and three are quite small All falcons have narrow pointed wings and fly fast, most catch their prey in the air. The Gyr falcon is the largest and incredibly rare in the UK Peregrine falcons are large, fast flying falcons with pointed wings Peregrines nest on rock faces, some on large stone buildings and bridges The kestrel is the commonest falcon and can be seen hovering beside motorways searching for field mice and voles. It is in decline now. The hobby is a small, fast-flying summer visitor that hunts swallows and house martins Merlins are the smallest falcons, they nest and hunt on moorland Peregrines are believed to be the fastest of all the birds 1. Which falcon is a summer visitor 2. Which rare falcon is mostly white.. 3. Peregrines sometimes nest on cathedrals, true or false. 4. What shape are falcon s wings. 5. Our smallest native falcon is the. 6. Which falcon is also called windhover.

4 Kites Only one species of kite is found in the UK, the Red Kite Red Kites used to be extremely rare, found only in mid-wales This was because many were shot and poisoned in the 19 th Century Red Kites have been re-introduced into the UK very successfully They can now be often seen flying over the M4 and M40 motorways Larger than buzzards, Red Kites are soaring birds and have long, narrow wings and a deeply forked tail that helps them to twist and turn in flight Kites are scavengers and feed largely on carrion [dead animals] In Medieval times, kites stole washing to line their nests They still have a stronghold in mid-wales and have increased greatly since feeding stations were set up Their close relative, the Black Kite, is the most common raptor in the world 1. What is obvious about the tail of a kite? 2. How many species of kite are found in UK? 3. Are kites larger or smaller than buzzards? 4. Name two things buzzards and kites have in common... and. 5. What kind of feeder is a kite?. 6. Where in the UK can you see Red Kites?

5 Harriers Harriers are fairly rare in the UK but 3 kinds are found here Harriers have a light body, long thin wings and a very buoyant way of flying They can fly extremely slowly and even hover whilst hunting over grassland and reed beds for small mammals, reptiles and birds The Harrier jump-jet is named after them The three species are Marsh, Hen and Montagu s Harrier All three species nest on the ground in thick cover Harriers have spectacular courtship flights Male harriers pass food to the females in mid-air and can also have more than one wife! They are persecuted by some gamekeepers when they nest on grouse moors All harriers have extremely long, thin legs. 1. Where do Harriers nest?.. 2. Why are some Harriers persecuted?.. 3. What is unusual about Harrier s legs? 4. Why do you think this is? What do you think helps Harriers to hunt effectively?. 6. Why do you think the jump-jet was named Harrier?...

6 Eagles There are 2 species of eagles in the UK, the Golden and the White-tailed Eagles are large soaring birds that live in mountainous and coastal regions, often where there are high cliffs Eagles mate for life and look after their young for up to a year after they are hatched Golden eagle are true or booted eagles; the White-tailed is in the sea eagle family Golden eagles are largely silent but the White tailed gives loud yelping calls Golden eagles are found throughout North America, Europe and Asia but are replaced by the Black eagle in Africa In the UK, Golden eagles are found in the mountains of Scotland White-tailed eagles are the largest eagle found in the UK, you can see them in Scotland Golden eagles have nested in England in recent times when a pair was resident in the Lake District The name golden comes from the feathers on the back of the head 1. Which of the two eagles is the largest?. 2. Which of them is a sea eagle?.. 3. Where in England have Golden eagles nested?.. 4. Golden eagles have a loud yelping call, true or false? 5. Which eagle replaces the Golden in Africa? 6. In which part of the UK can you see both eagles?.

7 Vultures Whilst Europe has 4 species, there are no vultures native to the UK but they are still an important group of which to be aware A Vulture s job is to remove dead animals from the environment Griffon vultures are found in France and Spain in good numbers; the larger, rarer European Black vulture only in Spain and on Majorca Juvenile Egyptian vultures are brown but adults are white The rarest European vulture is the Lammergeir or Bearded vulture The Lammergeir, or bone-breaker, is found only in the Alps and Pyrenees The Egyptian vulture, or Pharaoh s chicken, has been carved on the tombs of Pharaoh s and was the first bird protected by royal decree in Egypt Most vultures have bare heads and necks to avoid getting any feathers covered in blood when they are feeding In Africa, vultures clear thousands of tons of dead animals from the plains each year Vultures numbers in India have crashed dramatically and there is an international effort to try to save them from extinction 1. Which vulture was the first to be protected by law? 2. Which is the rarest European vulture? 3. Where would you see the Black vulture? 4. Which countries vultures are seriously endangered?. 5. Why do vultures have an important role in nature?.. 6. Which vulture is found in the UK?.

8 Owls There are over 200 species of owls in the world There are 6 kinds found in the UK The commonest UK species is the Tawny Owl which has around 50,000 pairs. Strangely, there are no Tawny owls in Ireland The smallest UK owl is the Little Owl, which is an introduced species, very similar to the Burrowing Owl of the Americas By far the largest and rarest owl in the UK is the Snowy Owl The Barn Owl can be seen hunting voles across grassland at both dawn and dusk. This habit is known as crepuscular. No owls build their own nests. They use holes in trees, old buildings or other bird s nests. 75% of UK Barn Owls use man made nest boxes! Owls hunt mainly by using their exceptional hearing and silent flight Long-eared owls roost together in the winter in groups of up to 20 The ears of Long and Short-eared owls have nothing to do with their hearing, they are used to display their mood to other owls 1. Which is the commonest species of owl in the UK?.. 2. What does crepuscular mean? Do owls use their ear tufts for hearing? 4. Which British owl is similar to the Burrowing Owl of the USA?. 5. Where do owls build their nests? 6. Which part of the UK does not have any Tawny owls?.

9 Osprey The Osprey is a single species in a group of its own Ospreys are found in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australasia Ospreys feed exclusively on fish caught by plunge diving into the water Between 1908 and 1957 Ospreys were extinct as UK breeding birds Thanks to conservation and protection, Ospreys now breed in England and Wales, but the majority breed in Scotland Ospreys build huge stick nests near the top of trees close to a lake or loch which they fish for food Ospreys are migratory and UK birds fly to West Africa each autumn. Juveniles remain for 2-5 years before returning to the area they were hatched to find a mate Ospreys feet have sharp scales to help them hold slippery fish Larger than a buzzard, ospreys are dark above and white underneath and their wings are held in a distinctive arched fashion 1. How many kinds of Ospreys are there?.. 2. Do Ospreys have a wide variety of food choices?. 3. Where do Ospreys like to nest? 4. Ospreys are summer migrants, what does this mean?. 5. Fish are slippery customers, how do Ospreys avoid dropping them?. 6. When did Ospreys start breeding in Britain again?.

10 Glossary of Words Buoyant: floating gently Carrion: dead, often decaying animal flesh Conservation: to help to improve a species survival by improving the conditions in which it lives Crepuscular: to be active at dawn and dusk Diurnal: to be active during daylight Eurasian: an animal found in both Europe and Asia Jump-jet: a jet aircraft that can take off and land vertically Nocturnal: to be active during the night Persecuted: to be chased and hunted without letup Protection: to help to improve a species survival by preventing its destruction by man Raptor: a bird that catches prey in its feet Scavenger: an animal that feeds on dead or rotting flesh or discarded food scraps Soaring: circling high in the air on outstretched wings Talons: the sharp claws found on the feet of raptors Windhover: an old country name for the kestrel