Birds of prey are one of the oldest inhabitants of our planet, and the most significant of them is the vulture. The bird has the largest wingspan (about 3 m), and can reach a height of 1 meter. With such dimensions, the body weight will be about 10 kg. But this is not the only representative of large, winged predators. The Yastrebin family has about 220 species, these include: common buzzard, Steller's sea eagle, golden eagle, black vulture and many others. Consider some of the species in more detail.
Pacific or Steller's Sea Eagle
This bird of the Hawk family belongs to the order Falconiformes. Orlan is one of the rarest species of birds listed in the Red Book. Today, there are no more than 7500 individuals of this bird. Habitats - the Far East, where the Steller's sea eagle nests. Outside Russia, you can meet a bird only during the winter migrations, in Northern China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Sometimes you can see it on the Northwest coast of America.
If you do not take into account scavengers, then the largest bird of prey is the Steller's sea eagle. Description of the species reveals very interesting facts:
- Females of the eagle are very large, their weight can reach 9 kg, while the maximum mass of the male does not exceed 7.5 kg. Other signs cannot be distinguished.
- The length of the bird (from crown to tail), a little more than a meter.
- Wings in the wingspan - 2.5 m.
- The silver-brown plumage with snow-white inserts on the forehead, lower legs, wings and tail feathers looks impressive. Therefore, the Steller's sea eagle is considered one of the most beautiful feathered representatives of the fauna.
- Bright plumage have only adults. Young animals have no white spots on the wings.
- Beak and paws are bright yellow.
The bird feeds mainly on fish, which it catches in ponds, using a powerful grip with its paws and sharp claws. Occasionally, small birds living near the water, as well as small mammals (for example, seal cubs) can become prey for the eagle.
Common buzzard
The bird of the Yastrebin family - the common buzzard (buzzard) in size did not far exceed the crow. Wingspan is just over a meter.
The habitat in Russia is very extensive. Bird can be found both in the West of the country and on the Far East coast. Common Buzzard lives on most of the Eurasian continent. At times, it can be found even in the Arctic Circle. Some of the birds lead a sedentary lifestyle (a species that lives in Japan), while others go to winter in the warmer countries of Asia and the African continent. The buzzard returns to its native land in April.
This bird of the Hawk family creates a nest in a tree, where it lays eggs. In the masonry, they can be up to 4 pcs. Their color is dirty white, with red and brown spots.
The common buzzard has a unique color. It can vary from dark brown to fawn.
Black vulture
Another very large representative of the Yastrebin family (Scavenger detachment) is the black vulture. The bird has a predominantly dark brown color, and only on the head this shade is somewhat lighter. Powerful paws - gray. On the front of the head visible areas of bare skin. The feathers around the base of the neck look like a collar.
The bird plants nests of large diameter on the trees, about 2 meters, where it lays and hatches only 1 egg. In the European part of the Eurasian continent, the population is rapidly declining.
At the black neck, the wingspan can be 3 m. In search of prey, the bird is able to overcome hundreds of kilometers per day. Habitat habitat:
- North Africa.
- Southern regions of Europe.
- Tibet and Central Asia.
The largest population of these birds lives in Spain.
In Russia, the black vulture is found in the Republic of Tuva, in the territory of Altai and in the Caucasus.
