One of the most amazing creatures that inhabit our planet are birds of prey. They play a special role in nature, many do the work of orderlies in forests and fields, others help in the fight against insects and various parasites. Birds of prey are an interesting phenomenon in nature, which is still being studied by ornithologists.
Types of birds of prey
The list of birds of prey includes species such as day and night. Daytime include hawk, falcon and other units. Night birds are mainly owls and barn Owls. They can be of very different sizes, have both a huge scope (American condor), and the tiniest wings, which, for example, have a dwarf falcon. Hawks, vultures, kites, condors, owls, owls - all of them are included in the list of birds of prey.
These species of birds live around the world, they are not only in the Antarctic, as well as on some ocean islands. Eagle and golden eagle are also birds of prey. The list continues with various species of falcons. The magnificent flight and whirling above the ground of these magnificent birds is impossible not to admire. In addition to them, a buzzard, or, as it is also called, buzzard, is included in the list of birds of prey.
Features of existence
These amazing creatures have a fairly long lifespan. Many of them live for more than fifty years, in the history of ornithology there have been cases when eagles, hawks and other species were kept in captivity from 45 to 69 years. In nature, the life of birds is much shorter, on average, it ranges from fifteen to twenty-five years. Birds of prey breed only once a year, in very rare cases, two. Before laying eggs, the couple builds a nest for future chicks, they can also settle in a strange and already prepared place. Basically, such birds choose tall trees, rocks for nests, but sometimes they nest on the ground. The female usually hatches eggs, this occurs within two months, each species differently. Sometimes the male replaces her in this work, but not for a long time. Chicks are born quite strong and strong, most of them are already sighted.
Chicks of small birds of prey grow up very quickly and fly out of the nest, but for such as vultures, it takes several months for them to grow up and be able to fly. These species of predators feed mainly on animals, including various mammals, insects, and small birds. Also often carnivorous individuals feed on carrion, and very little on vegetation.
