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bird of prey

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Acronyms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.

bird of prey

Any member of the order Falconiformes (eagles, falcons, hawks, and vultures) or Strigiformes (owls). Falconiforms are also called raptors. They are active during the day, whereas owls are nocturnal. Condors and eagles are among the largest and strongest of flying birds. All birds of prey have a hook-tipped beak and sharp curved claws called talons. (Nonpredatory vultures have less-developed talons.) Despite the similarities between owls and raptors, many authorities believe they are not closely related but developed similar features because of their similar predatory lives.


bird of prey
a bird, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl, that hunts and kills other animals, esp vertebrates, for food. It has strong talons and a sharp hooked bill

bird of prey [′bərd əv ′prā]
(vertebrate zoology)
Any of various carnivorous birds of the orders Falconiformes and Strigiformes which feed on meat taken by hunting.


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He followed the sound, and at last came to a high tree, and at the top of this a little child was sitting, for the mother had fallen asleep under the tree with the child, and a bird of prey had seen it in her arms, had flown down, snatched it away, and set it on the high tree.
Or, better still," Adam went on, "the eyes of a bird of prey when he is following his instincts.
To which the bird of prey slowly rejoined, 'And what might YOUR name be, now?
 
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