Birdsof Prey

Birds of Prey, the Aetomorphae of Huxley, the Accipitres and Raptores of older systematists. The birds of this group have muscular bodies, short robust legs, generally with three toes in front and one behind, all armed with long curved claws; the wings are of considerable size, for the most part pointed, and the flight is generally swift and powerful. The bill is strong, and sharply hooked; the upper mandible is the longer, and is often armed with a projection, called by Owen a "lateral tooth." The Birds of Prey are monogamous, and the male is smaller than the female. They generally nest in lofty and sometimes in inaccessible places; the eggs are rarely more than four, and the young, when hatched, are covered with down and helpless. The order contains the Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Vultures, sometimes called the Diurnal, and the Owls or Nocturnal Birds of Prey.