Falcons and Woodland Hawks
Last Review/Updated: May 31, 2002
There are two major groups of birds of prey, or "raptors," in the world. The largest group (Order Falconiformes) is active during the day (diurnal) and includes falcons, hawks and eagles. The owls (Order Strigiformes) are adapted to hunt their prey at night (nocturnal).
Diurnal
raptors found in Alberta can be divided into three broad groups: 1)
falcons, 2) woodland hawks (accipiters) and 3) heavy-bodied hawks (buteos)
and eagles. The northern harrier, turkey vulture, and osprey are three
Alberta raptors that do not fit into these groups. Only the falcon
and accipiter hawks are presented here. The buteos, eagles, northern
harrier, turkey vulture and osprey are treated in a separate series, Large
Hawks and Eagles.
All raptors have strong, hooked beaks for tearing flesh, and strong feet and talons for grasping and holding prey. In most species, females are larger than males.
Raptors possess excellent eyesight. The sharpness of vision of some species is estimated to be about 8 times greater than that of people. Thus, raptors are able to detect small movements on the ground from great heights.
