The largest birds of prey

• The largest birds of prey

For many centuries the birds of prey were seen mysterious man endowed with special powers creatures. In various tribal cultures existed religious movements dedicated to predatory killers, they became patrons of the caste of warriors and shamans. In modern ornithology the term "bird of prey" refers to any type of bird with strong claws, sharp vision and strong, curved beak. Theoretically, the biggest representatives of this kind might well even kill a person.

The great gray owl

The great gray owl is considered to be the world's largest bird of the order of owls. The length of the owl may grow up to 84 centimeters. Bird habitat area is quite wide: great gray owl prefers the taiga zone and is found on the territory of Siberia to the Trans-Baikal.

Andean condor

It is found in the Andes and on the Pacific coast of South America. Condors live to seventy years, but the population of these birds is threatened. Flying bird looks particularly spectacular: they soar high in the sky, catching the thermals of warm air. In this case, the condor wings wide open in the horizontal plane, the ends of the feathers spread out - even in the face of such a calm flight looks like preparation for a rapid roll for prey.

Fighting Eagle

Only one pair of eagles fighting dominates the habitat of thousands of square kilometers. These birds are not too outgoing couples nest at a distance of about 50 kilometers apart. The only enemy of the martial eagle is a person - other animals bird simply is not dangerous.

Philippine Eagle

Eagle obezyanoed considered one of the rarest, largest and most powerful birds in the world. It can only be found in the tropical forests of the Philippines: here he is considered a national symbol of the country. For killing an eagle local law provides for twelve years in prison - for comparison, for the murder of a person facing a total of nine years.

Snow vulture

One of the largest vultures of the world lives in the higher regions of the Himalayas, Pamirs and Kazakhstan. A few snow vulture nests are found on the Tibetan plateau. The hunt for this species is prohibited by local law, but for poachers capture this vulture is a huge profit, and bird population has been steadily declining.

vulture

So the bird was called because of the misconception about her diet: it was believed that if a representative of the family of the hawk preys on sheep. In fact, the vulture feeds mainly on carrion, making an exception only for turtles.

harpy eagle

This large hawk is found in the plains and tropical forests of South America. Harpy hunts for large mammals such as sloths and monkeys. Unfortunately, deforestation in areas harpies nesting leads to a steady decline in the population of these dangerous and beautiful birds is now fewer than 40,000 individuals.

Hawk Eagle

The biggest bird of South Africa is most common in sub-Saharan Africa. Bonelli's eagle is armed with huge, razor-sharp claws and hit his hind legs so strong that it could topple even human.

Berkut

The most famous and the most common bird of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Swipe eagle wings reaches an impressive 2, 34 meters - a real car killer. Bird since ancient times is the patron saint of hunters and is very mystical influence in many tribal cultures.

The wandering albatross

Wingspan wandering albatross is as much as 325 centimeters, the largest among all other birds. Albatross lives up to thirty years, making it a true champion long-lived.