Bird of prey

Birds of prey
Montage of extant predatory birds. From top left to right: Eurasian eagle-owl, king vulture, peregrine falcon, golden eagle and bearded vulture
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
(unranked):	Passerea
Clade:	Telluraves
Groups included
Strigiformes Accipitriformes Falconiformes
Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa
Coraciimorphae Psittacopasserae Cariamiformes (occasionally included) [1]

Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators have keen eyesight for detecting prey from a distance or during flight, strong feet with sharp talons for grasping or killing prey, and powerful, curved beaks for tearing off flesh.^[2][3][4] Although predatory birds primarily hunt live prey, many species (such as fish eagles, vultures and condors) also scavenge and eat carrion.^[2]

Although the term "bird of prey" could theoretically be taken to include all birds that actively hunt and eat other animals,^[4] ornithologists typically use the narrower definition followed in this page,^[5] excluding many piscivorous predators such as storks, cranes, herons, gulls, skuas, penguins, and kingfishers, as well as many primarily insectivorous birds such as passerines (e.g. shrikes), nightjars, frogmouths, songbirds such as crows and ravens, alongside opportunistic predators from predominantly frugivorous or herbivorous ratites such as cassowaries and rheas. Some extinct predatory telluravian birds had talons similar to those of modern birds of prey, including mousebird relatives (Sandcoleidae),^[6] and Messelasturidae indicating possible common descent. Some Enantiornithes also had such talons,^[7] indicating possible convergent evolution, as enanthiornithines weren't even modern birds.