Discover everything about the diurnal bird of prey, its characteristics, the differences that may exist between these and the nocturnal ones, as well as a great list of these birds, which you will surely not want to miss, what you must not forget is to share what you learn about these beautiful animals.
diurnal birds of prey
This type of bird is subdivided into several groups, these are carnivorous, since they hunt their food, whether they are "large" animals or insects, which may vary from one species to another, some eat crickets, but others could even eat monkeys ; each species has certain particular characters that make them amazing, all its details will be mentioned in the following segments.
It is important to note that these are also often referred to as "birds of prey"; They belong to the order called "falconiformes" within which there are at least a little more than three hundred species. These are considerably different from the nocturnal ones that even belong to another order called "Strigiformes", which will be mentioned in the article to differentiate them from the diurnal ones.
Features
Before starting with each of the particular characters of these birds, it is necessary to highlight that they are usually quite heterogeneous and also have almost no relationship between them, but their characteristics allow them to be distinguished from each other, such as:
- Their feathers are cryptic so it is easy for them to camouflage themselves when hunting and of course to protect themselves from predators.
- As for its beak, it is usually quite sharp and with a notable curvature, which is very useful for feeding, with it they manage to break their prey; this can vary from one species to another.
- They have great strength in their claws, with which they grab their prey and can also help themselves to tear it.
- Something characteristic of this bird is its sense of sight, which is extremely acute, even much more than that of the human being, which is why they usually see their prey from above.
- Although not all of them have an acute sense of smell, there are some that do, as would be the case with the vulture, with which they will be able to smell animals in poor condition at a great distance.
Families of diurnal birds of prey
Within the families of these birds three can be named, the eagles and the kites that are large; the so-called secretary, who is the only one of that family and finally there are the falcons, being one of the strongest in several ways, however, all of these will be detailed with greater emphasis in the following segments.
Differences between diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey
Although they have certain similarities such as the beak and the claws, they also have many things with which they can differ considerably, these elements are:
- In the case of nocturnal birds, their heads are rounder, which makes it easier for them to hear their surroundings.
- Even when they manage to share the same environment, they will never do so in terms of time, since, as their name indicates, some have daytime hours and the others go out at night, so while some rest, the others will start their normal day.
- The nocturnal ones, due to their way of life, have excellent vision adapted to the darkness of the night, while the others must necessarily have light to be able to hunt and lead their normal lives.
- By nature the nocturnal ones have a greater capacity to detect even the slightest sound.
- Finally, it should be noted that the feathers can also be distinguished, since, in the case of the nocturnal ones, they have a texture like velvet, which makes them less noisy when flying.
List of diurnal birds of prey
Below you will find five bird of prey names diurnal and their main characteristics, so that you can differentiate them when you spot any of them; however, it should be noted that within this species there are at least three hundred birds that are so named, but these are usually the most representative.
Golden Eagle
In the first place, we have this beautiful eagle, which is scientifically called Eagle chrysaetos, according to experts it is usually quite cosmopolitan, since it can be seen in the Asian continent, in Europe, in part of Africa, especially towards the north and also in North America.
Among the Characteristics of the Golden Eagle We have that its habitat is quite wide as you can imagine, it can be both in the wide plains and in the mountains, it can also be at sea level if you wish, as well as at more than four thousand meters of altitude, it is even known as he has seen in the Himalayas, a place where he has been more than six thousand meters.
Its diet is varied, it eats fish meat, amphibians, other birds, reptiles, insects, carrion; It is important to note that when they hunt they are usually two or a little more but they are not very large groups, as for their prey they do not usually exceed four kilos.
red-headed vulture
This diurnal bird of prey is called within the scientific area as Cathartes aura, the family to which it belongs is the cathartic; They can be seen throughout the length and breadth of America except in the northern part of Canada; It is important to note that to reproduce they go to the central parts of the American continent and even reach the south.
It is better known as the new world vulture, it is a scavenger species; As far as its habitat is concerned, it can be varied, it can be found both in rocky areas in the mountains and in the Amazon jungle. On the other hand, its fur is usually black except on its head, which is usually red and without feathers. It can reach almost two meters.
common sparrowhawk
Also called the Eurasian sparrowhawk, even though its scientific name is Accipiter nisus, it can be seen in areas of North Africa, as well as on the Eurasian continent; A peculiar characteristic of these birds is that they are migratory, that is to say, that at certain times of the year they go to other directions, perhaps to reproduce, as well as due to inclement climates, they go to the south of Europe in the winter season and also to Africa, then they will return to the North.
They are usually alone, they are only accompanied when nesting, the nests are placed in the forests where they live, especially in the parts near clearings, in order to hunt smaller birds.
common goshawk
Scientifically it is called Accipiter gentilis, it can also be seen in the northern hemisphere except in the polar part; Unlike the one mentioned in the first place, this one is medium in size, being able to measure up to a hundred centimeters. In the area of its belly it can have black and white colors, while on the back, especially on its wings, there are darker grayish colors.
Its habitat is usually in wooded areas, especially towards the limits of these and where there are forest clearings. It can feed on smaller birds and small mammals.
lappet-faced vulture
This diurnal bird of prey is native to Africa, also called loot face, but its scientific name is Torgos tracheliotos, it is one of the endangered animals in africaAccording to the experts, it is already very difficult to see one of them in different populations in which they used to abound; An interesting feature is its beak, which is usually very strong and is very large, even larger than the other species.
They can be seen on the slopes of mountains, in arid plains, deserts and dry savannahs, in principle it is a scavenger, however, it can also feed on small mammals, short reptiles and fish.
Secretary
Finally we have this peculiar diurnal bird of prey, known in the scientific area as Sagittarius serpentarius, it can be seen in sub-Saharan Africa, in places like Guinea, Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania.
Its habitat can vary from savannahs with few trees, to grasslands and open plains, however, many of its members have also been sighted in agricultural and sub-desert areas. Its diet is quite varied, it can eat various prey, whether rodents, insects, lizards, eggs, mammals, snakes, amphibians and young birds.
A very curious fact about this bird is the fact that it has the ability to fly and yet its preference is to walk, it is even said that it hunts from the ground and not like most birds of prey that do it from the ground. air; It does this by hitting with its legs, which have great strength. The saddest thing is that the data shows that it is in danger of becoming extinct.
More examples of diurnal birds of prey
If you want to meet many more diurnal birds of prey then be sure to read the following great list, where you will get their popular and scientific name:
- Raptor Eagle (Aquila rapax)
- Andean condor (vultur gryphus)
- Cape Eagle (Aquila verreauxii)
- King Vulture (sarcoramphus papa)
- African goshawk eagle (Aquila spilogaster)
- Black Vulture (Aegypius mocachus)
- Spotted Eagle (clanga clanga)
- Long-billed Vulture (Gyps indicus)
- Eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca)
- African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)
- Fishing Aghuila (Pandion haliaetus)
- Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
- Lesser Kestrel (falco naumanni)
- Common Kestrel (falco tinnunculus)
- Gyrfalcon (falco rusticolus)
- Merlin (falco columbarius)
- Eurasian Falcon (Falco subbuteo)