Birds of prey have long captured people’s imagination. These magnificent hunters actively catch and feed on live prey, with keen eyesight for detecting a range of animals, mainly mammals, reptiles and other small birds from high in the air.
In addition to speed and strength, they have strong feet with sharp talons for grasping and killing prey, and powerful curved beaks for tearing off flesh.
Although the term ‘bird of prey’ could theoretically apply to all birds that actively hunt and eat other animals, ornithologists use a narrower definition. Hunting live vertebrates with their feet, rather than their beak, has been largely accepted as an ecological trait of raptorial birds, yet not all species are considered raptors.
A strongly curved bill, and sharp talons are the most commonly used morphological characters for identifying raptors. Although predatory birds primarily hunt live prey, many species also scavenge and eat carrion.
Australian raptors are species that include hawks, falcons, kites, harriers, buzzards and eagles within the Accipitridae and Falconidae families, owls within the Tytonidae and Strigidae families and the osprey, from the Pandionidae family.
Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax). Photos – Simon Cherriman
CULTURAL TOTEM
Australia’s native birds feature prominently in stories of First Nations peoples. Birds feature in Songlines and play an important role socially, ceremonially and ecologically.
Aboriginal peoples in northern Australia believe birds of prey intentionally starting fires in order to lure their prey into the open.
Raptors can see smoke from far away and will capitalise on hunting opportunities created by (particularly grassland) fires that flush an abundance of prey animals (including native rodents and small birds), making them easy targets to swoop down and snatch with their talons.
FAST AND FURIOUS
Australian raptors are efficient, capable hunters. The wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), Australia’s largest aerial predator, which dominates open landscapes with its impressive wingspan. In contrast, the agile brown goshawk (Tachyspiza fasciata) navigates dense forests with remarkable precision.
Because of their need to spot slight movement of their prey, the ability to discern detail sharply may be as much as eight times keener in the larger birds of prey than in man.
Nocturnal hunters like the barn owl complement their diurnal counterparts, utilising acute senses to capture prey under the cover of darkness. These avian predators play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance by controlling populations of rodents and small mammals throughout their varied habitats.
In diurnal raptors, females are always larger than their male counterparts. There are 24 species of raptor that breed in Australia, and all but one species—the rare letter-winged kite—are regularly found in WA.
The red goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus) and the grey falcon (Falco hypoleucos) are officially declared as threatened species, and the letterwinged kite (Elanus scriptus) is on the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions’ priority list as a possible threatened species.
Osprey in shallow water. Photo Allan Burbridge
