The raptors of Raptors World await you to learn up close the curiosities and secrets of the world of raptors, both diurnal and nocturnal.
Raptors are predatory birds that are placed at the top of the food pyramid of an ecosystem. Two large orders can be identified: Falconiformes , which includes all diurnal raptors, and Strigiformes , which includes all nocturnal raptors.
THE VIEW
Without a doubt, sight is the most developed sense and the one that most characterizes birds of prey. It is not for nothing that there is the saying “hawk-like vision”. The eye of birds of prey is of enormous proportions compared to the head and is protected by the superciliary arch that gives the animal the classic “evil” look and that expression of irresistible beauty mixed between the proud and the wild. Birds of prey have the ability to see in color and ultraviolet and have a power of resolving details eight times greater than that of humans.
HEARING
The ear of a bird of prey is a hole behind the cheek and is usually hidden by feathers. The hearing of these animals is more developed than ours and allows them to hear sound frequencies higher than those of humans, even touching some ultrasound ranges. The ear also plays an important role in maintaining balance, just like in humans. In nocturnal birds of prey, hearing is extremely developed; the tympanic holes are large, very close to the eyes and slightly asymmetrical to allow for more accurate localization. Nocturnal birds of prey have a facial mask made up of thick, rigid feathers arranged in several compact layers: its function is similar to that of the auricles, that is, the facial discs collect sounds from a large portion of space and direct them into the auricular openings.
THE SENSE OF SMELL
For most birds of prey, the role of smell is not yet studied, but it seems to be the least developed sense. In falcons, from the center of the nostrils, a small fleshy growth can be glimpsed that coils in a spiral, a fundamental element for gradually channeling air when the bird of prey flies in a swoop.
THE BEAK
Raptors are predatory or scavenger birds and have therefore evolved a beak that allows them to hunt and feed on other animals. It is flattened at the base and is characterized by the strong curvature of the premaxillae and maxillae. This has, at its base, a cartilaginous thickening called cere, yellowish or gray in color depending on the species, in which the nostrils are located. The beak in most falconids is the weapon with which they kill their prey. In fact, it has the so-called "tooth", a protrusion present on the jaw at the point of its maximum curvature and which serves precisely to break the cervical vertebrae of the prey. In accipitrids, the prey is killed exclusively with the claws, more developed and powerful than those of falconids and the beak has the exclusive function of opening the carcass and tearing pieces of meat from it to eat.
THE WASTES
A characteristic of birds of prey is the ability to eject the undigested parts of their prey in the form of pellets, “pellets”. These are usually emitted within 24 hours of the previous meal but can also be expelled a long time later. Birds of prey swallow not only meat but also feathers, fur and small bones and this is because in this way they are able to better absorb the nutrients contained in the food. Pellets are useful for studying the feeding of these predators.
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