Bird Of Prey Families (Raptors)

This group gathers taxon/Bird Families subcategory members that are themselves bird families belonging to the birds of prey, chiefly the order Accipitriformes, hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures united by strongly hooked bills and powerful, sharply taloned feet adapted for seizing and killing live prey. Every family gathered here relies on exceptional eyesight, among the sharpest of any animal group, to spot prey from great height or distance, and most species combine broad, soaring wings suited to riding thermal updrafts with a hunting strategy that depends on surprise, speed or sheer physical power rather than the pursuit endurance some other predatory animals rely on. Raptor families occupy nearly every continent and a wide range of habitats, from open grassland and desert to dense forest, and sit near or at the top of the food web in most of the ecosystems where they are found.