Birds of Prey

The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is known for its bald head and coloration. It is native to Southern Canada all the way to the tip of South America. It is a scavenger that feeds on carrion.

The Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) has a disk shaped head that helps it hear better by funneling sound to its ears. It is nocturnal, which means it's most active at night.

The beautiful plumage of the Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is the most distinguishing feature of this bird of prey. Its common to many regions of the United States, even cities.

The Bald Eagle(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)is a majestic symbol of the United States, and one of the larger eagle species. It is known for its white head.

Here a group of African Vultures spend a day perched in a tree. Like their western cousins, they also are scavengers.

In addition to the owl's ability to hear, it also has special adaptations to its feathers which makes it very quiet when it flies.

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) catches fish like this trout to eat by swooping down from the sky and grabbing them from the water.

The Great Horned Owl's eyes cannot move in its head. Instead it can turn its head 270 degrees in either direction to look backward over each shoulder. This way it can use its amazing binocular vision to spot prey.

This American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), is also called a Sparrow Hawk. It hovers looking for prey and then dives in for the catch. It often eats other birds.

Birds of Prey's eyes are particularly adapted to spotting and following prey over long distances. They have amazing long distance vision.