Top 10 Largest Birds of Prey
Published in Entertainment at April 13th, 2017 at 6:17 AM
Birds of prey, also known as raptors, are the most imrpessive things in the skies. It might be their amazing gaze, perfect plumage or talons on their feet that can crush skulls that really get our attention and admiring gazes, but one thing is for sure, they need to be respected and looked after. This video is a run down of the top 10 birds of prey.
The Harpy Eagle
The Harpy Eagle is arguably the most powerful of all the eagles, it can weigh nearly 9kgs and is 105cm at its longest. The talons on its feet are longer than a bears! If a harpy ever got hold of you, it could snap your arm like a twig and you need to hope its not your head it grabs because it can crush skulls too. Although there has never been an attack on a human before.
Most of their diet is from monkeys and sloths with the occasional parrot thrown in too. Their wings span a quite short 2 metres for such a large bird and its because of them adapting to flying through dense forest. The harpy is on the endangered list because of habitat destruction with some local people regarding them as legend or myth.
The Bearded vulture
I bet you thought vultures were just scavengers intent on stealing other predators prey, well think again. The bearded vulture is one of the largest raptors in the world. It can weigh a hefty 8kg and its wings span over 3 metres. The bearded vulture are mostly scavengers but they can also hunt very well too. They tend to pick up bones of dead animals and drop them from huge heights until they break open, feasting on the nutritious marrow inside. They've also been known to do this with tortoises.
They have a distinct dislike for anythin rotten and will only feast on fresh kills. Their hunting technique also differs from others raptors, in that they aren't built to hunt and kill so they would swoop near cliff edges and cause animals to fall to their deaths before picking their carcass.
The Blakiston Fish Owl
The largest owl in the world is the Blakiston fish owl, which, as i'm sure you've guessed, eats mostly fish. It was a wing span of 2 metres and weighs 4.5kg.
These owls were once thought to be quite sociable animals but the truth is that they are usually found alone or in pairs, and they only gather in larger numbers when food is very scarce
The Crowned Eagle
The crowned eagle has a shortish wingspan of 2 metres and reaches 90cm long, despite this size it has been observed taking down animals weighing 30kg. It is an extremely aggresive species and is called the leopard of the sky, mainly becaus eof its talent of remaining unnoticed before swooping and killing immediately. Its talons can crush skulls and will cause eyes to pop out of sockets in a single attempt. There have been skulls found of ancient human sub species with talon marks in them from this bird. In Zambia, a seven year old was once attacked by a Crowned Eagle in his way to school. He received serious injury to the head, chest and arms as the raptor tried unsuccessfully to carry him away, and was only saved when a woman arrived on time to help him and managed to kill the bird.
There were no nests found in the local area and the bird was found to be quite young, meaning it was simply attacking to kill.
The Lappet Faced Vulture
The lappet faced vulture is easily the most famous face when it comes to vultures, often seen picking the bones of other animals kills on the African savannahs. They have a wing span of 3 metres and can weigh a meaty 14kgs, making them extremely formidable. They have much larger, sharper and stronge beaks than any of the condor family. The lappet will both scavenge and hunt, killing any animal it deems a meal. It will also steal and eat other birds eggs.
Their size and dominance means they are usually allowed first pickings when it comes to carcasses and it has extremely aggressive nature towards anything and anyone. Even bigger cats such as cheetahs will remain well back from them.
The Golden Eagle
The golden eagle is the poster boy of the species and looks as beautiful as it is deadly and makes it one of the best aerial killers in the world. It will usually aim for small to medium size mammals but there have been sightings of them snatching up deer. The golden eagle is used by some Kazakhstani tribesman as hunting partners and are known to attack wolves as well as other birds of prey. There is more scary news, they could probably take down a small man if the need arose.
The Golden Eagle can weigh up to 7 kgs, and has a 2 meter wingspan. Females are larger and more aggressive than males. Fossils found in Europe suggest that they were even larger in prehistoric times, a few thousand years ago.
The Philippines Eagle
The Philippines eagle is similar to other dense forest dwelling types, its wingspan is small but it still weighs a bit, reaching nearly 7kg. This eagle also has a distinct feather mane that looks a little like a trendy comb over.
Its prey consists of monkey, bats and pigs or dogs too. If you decide you want to hunt one while in the Philippines you can expect 12 years in prison because of its protected status. There are estimated only 200 lef tin the wild today
The Stellers Sea Eagle
The stellers sea eagle is a distant relation to the more famous american bald eagle and is found in mainly Russia and Japan. It will mainly diet on fish but has been known to attack and kill other birds if necessary, these includes cranes and swans. This species of eagle is also a scavenger and feeds on dead animals when it can find them.
At 9kgs, its the heaviest eagle in the world and its wings measure 2.5metres span. Of all the eagles, it has the most powerful beak to speak of. The steller eagle is in danger of extinction to due to lead poisoning. The eagles ingest the lead from shot left in animals that have been hunted..
The Eurasian Eagle Owl
The Eurasian eagle owl is commonly referred to as the nocturnal golden eagle; it weighs only half of it at 4kg and slightly shorter when it comes to wing span at 2 metres, but boy do they pack a punch! They feed mainly on reodents and rabbits but also deer if the need calls for it. The species is also cannibalistic, eating its own kind as well as other raptors.
The Eurasian owl is the only one on record to have killed a human. The hunter was attempting to steal its eggs and the bird harried the man until he got so flustered he fell from the tree to his death.
The Martial eagle
The title of largest African eagle goes to the Martial eagle, it weighs over 6kg and its wings reach 2.5 metres diameter. It has a very recognisable under belly coat which is white with brown/black spots. The martial eagle isn't to be trifled with due to its extremely aggresive nature and will attack and kill anything it deems edible, this includes lion cubs if the opportunity rises.
Farmers of Africa consider the bird to be a pest, it kills their livestock, and therefore shoot at them when given the chance. It is extremely endangered because of this fact.
