The Hawk

by Karen Slagle

Title

The Hawk

Artist

Karen Slagle

Medium

Photograph

Description

I saw this beautiful bird of prey on a crossbeam while on my way home from the store. I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure this is a 'red tail' hawk. They are so common here and are on poles and crossbeams all around where I live. This one sat quite a while and let me take his picture from the car. Every so often he would look down at me as if to say, " hurry up with your picture taking". Off he flew after awhile going after a jack rabbit for supper. I also saw a bald eagle not far from him chasing the same jack rabbit.

Birds of prey, also known as raptors, hunt and feed on other animals. The term "raptor" is derived from the Latin word rapere (meaning to seize or take by force). These birds are characterized by keen vision that allows them to detect prey during flight and powerful talons and beaks.

Many species of birds may be considered partly or exclusively predatory. However, in ornithology, the term "bird of prey" applies only to birds of the families listed below. Taken literally, the term "bird of prey" has a wide meaning that includes many birds that hunt and feed on animals and also birds that eat very small insects. In ornithology, the definition for "bird of prey" has a narrower meaning: birds that have very good eyesight for finding food, strong feet for holding food, and a strong curved beak for tearing flesh. Most birds of prey also have strong curved talons for catching or killing prey. An example of this difference in definition, the narrower definition excludes storks and gulls, which can eat quite large fish, partly because these birds catch and kill prey entirely with their beaks, and similarly bird-eating skuas, fish-eating penguins, and vertebrate-eating kookaburras are excluded. Birds of prey generally prey on vertebrates, which are usually quite large relative to the size of the bird. Most also eat carrion, at least occasionally, and vultures and condors eat carrion as their main food source. Many raptor species are considered apex predators.

Uploaded

December 14th, 2014

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