Introduction

Birds whose main survival strategy is hunting and killing other creatures are classed as birds of prey. They are also called 'raptors'.

One well known group of hunters is the owls, characterised by a round face, and excellent hearing to detect the lightest rustling. Owls generally are active at night, though there are exceptions, and almost any species can be seen in daylight when days are long and owlets are hungry.

The rest of the hunters are grouped as diurnal birds of prey, because they tend to hunt during the day. They are more dependent on eyesight than owls, though again there are exceptions.