Birds of prey are also known as 'raptors', taken from the Latin word 'raptare', meaning to seize or plunder. They belong to the
group of animals known as predators because they eat and prey on other animals.
Birds of prey are mainly carnivores, and eat a wide range of animals, including mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates.
If there were no predators in the world, the numbers of animals would grow very quickly, with nothing to control them. There would
be overcrowding and species would soon run out of food, resulting in death caused by starvation and disease.
Owls are not known as raptors, despite them sharing many of the common characteristics of birds of prey. The three main features
of a bird of prey are: a hooked beak for tearing flesh, talons on their feet to grip and kill prey, and large eyes with accurate vision.
As the various birds of prey hunt in different ways, they are shaped differently. For example, falcons have long, narrow, pointed wings,
short tails and bullet-shaped bodies for high-speed hunting in the air. Meanwhile hawks, which prey on ground animals more than other birds,
have shorter, more rounded wings and a long tail for gliding and soaring.
Owls have very soft feathers and are totally silent when they fly, so the prey they hunt at night does not know they are coming.