They can strike their victims with clenched talons at a devastating 200mph, casually crush a monkey’s skull in their claws, tear a large fish apart in seconds and inflict deep wounds on the heads of humans they see as a threat.
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These are just some examples of the awesome power of the world’s largest and most impressive birds of prey.
Deadliest birds of prey
Harpy Eagle
The magnificent harpy eagles of Central and South America are legendary for being the most powerful eagles in the world. The grip from a female’s very long, sharp black talons, bigger than a brown bear’s claws, can pierce muscle and break a man’s arm.
But they don’t often encounter people; they use their formidable strength to crush their sloth and monkey prey. Females are twice the size of males, weighing up to 9kg (20lb) while their mates are closer to 5.5kg (12lb).
It is the combination of their crested beauty and the visible power in their massive curved beak and huge yellow feet that led to Carl Linneaus in 1785 to name them in his Systema Naturae after the Harpies of Greek and Roman mythology. These were guardians of the underworld that took the form of large birds with women’s heads and breasts and they carried evil-doers off to be servants of the vengeful gods.
Harpy eagles are superbly adapted to their rainforest habitat. They do not have the extensive wingspan of other large birds of prey – only 2m (6.5ft) – so they can manoeuvre easily in the dense forest canopy. Their shorter wings also enable them to hunt their prey from below as well as above and, once they have caught it, they can lift prey up to half their own body weight.
Like most birds of prey they have superb vision, eight times better than a human’s, and keen hearing, which all combine to put them at the top of the continent’s food chain.
Great Horned Owl
If you are told that this owl species has the nickname ‘tiger of the night’ it will give you an idea of its hawkish nature. In 2012 there were reports in the US of a number of people enjoying a day out in a Seattle park who were attacked attacked by a great horned owl that descended on their heads from the trees. To be fair to the owl, it was probably only protecting its nest.
Great horned owls will concentrate on an adversary’s face, usually in conflict with another owl, in order to blind and disable with their long claws. Although attacks on humans are rare, there was another reported in Oregon in 2015 when an owl repeatedly raked the scalp of a jogger. Luckily, he managed to outrun the bird before too much damage was inflicted.
Great horned owls are powerful predators of rats, mice and voles, as well as rabbits, skunks, hares and reptiles. They often grow to more than 60cm (2ft) in length, with wingspans up to 150cm (5ft). Swooping in with those wings, and feet outspread to 20cm (8in), you can see how they present a deadly danger to a mouse and quite scary attackers if they are flying at your face!
The gripping force of great horned owl talons is around 300 pounds per square inch – similar to the bite of a Doberman. This is sufficient to crush a small mammal’s skull while the talons pierce the body. After the kill the birds will then use their feet to compress the victim’s body for easy transportation to an eating perch or nest.
Peregrine Falcon
For surprise attacks this bird cannot be beaten. It will sweep down on its hapless victim at speeds faster than any other raptor and hammer it to death with one disabling blow to the wing, swiftly followed by a mid-air catch worthy of a world-class cricketer.
Because the peregrine falcon travels at such speeds in its vertical stooping flight, there is a danger from extreme air pressure damaging its airways. To resolve this issue, scientists believe that small bony tubercles in its nostrils divert the rushing airaway so that it can continue to breathe in the face of changing pressures. Its eyes are adapted to process very rapid movement and maintain steady vision even at high speed, and it has nictitating membranes to sweep the eyeballs free of airborne grit and tears.
Although smaller than many other raptors, the peregrine is one of the most intelligent and through the ages it has been revered by royalty, religious leaders and hunters from many cultures for its prowess in catching its feathered prey.
Peregrines and their 19 subspecies are found on every continent apart from Antarctica, from the far north of Alaska, Canada and Russia to the southern tip of Africa, South America and Australia. In Arctic regions the birds will migrate in the winter months but, overall, their distribution shows what a versatile and adapted group of predators they are.
African Crowned Eagle/ Crowned Hawk Eagle
In the rainforests of tropical Africa there is none so revered as the African crowned eagle because it is such a powerful and aggressive bird. Like the harpy eagle it is superbly adapted to its forest home with its relatively short and broad wingspan.
It can also crush bones and skulls with its super-strong talons as it preys on guinea fowl, primates such as golden pottos, small deer and antelopes. In fact, it can tackle prey that is almost four times its size thanks to the extremely long, penetrating talons on the backs of its feet that are capable of breaking an animal’s spine. Local legend says that these eagles have been known to carry away small children, but this is unproven.
Crowned eagles mate for life and raise a chick every two years. They will usually lay two eggs but the stronger chick will kill the weaker soon after hatching. It then depends on its parents for nearly a year while it learns to be an efficient hunter. The raptor chicks only need to feed every three to five days, but their meals are large. They can consume bones as well as flesh, often holding larger ones in the back of their throats until the portion protruding into their stomachs is digested and allows the rest to slide down.
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These intelligent birds will hunt during daylight hours as a mated pair, waiting patiently in the trees by a water source until something tasty comes into view and they can swoop down on it. If they are hunting monkeys, the male will glide high above the forest canopy, drawing the attention of the potential prey upwards by calling loudly. Meanwhile, the female flies much closer to the trees and picks off their distracted meal.
Golden Eagle
These raptors inhabit mountainous grasslands, heaths and steppes right across the northern hemisphere, from Asia to North America and down into areas in north Africa, making them the most widely distributed eagle species in the world. They are large and awe-inspiring predators with more the sizeable females having up to a 230cm (7.5ft) wingspan, although they only weigh about 5kg (11lb).
Males can be substantially smaller at 3.5kg (7.5lb) but this does not stop them being as formidable hunters and a scourge of ground squirrels, rabbits and hares. Golden eagles are also known to predate medium-sized birds such as geese and pheasants. Their speed, agility, powerful feet and huge curved beak help them make short work of dispatching prey.
Goldies prefer to soar rather than do much flapping, using thermals and updrafts to keep them gliding aloft at a steady 30mph (48kph). When needed, though, they can put on a stunning display of speed, travelling in a dive, with partially folded wings and feet tucked up, that can reach between 150 and 200mph (240 to 320kph).
However, flying is not something they do for most of the day. Around 80 per cent of their time they spend perched in trees. In winter they may employ more time in the air, searching for carrion to supplement their diet when live prey is not so readily available.
Eurasian Eagle Owl
This is one massive owl, standing up to 75cm (2.5ft) with a wingspan that measures 180cm (almost 6ft). It among the largest and most powerful owls in the world and although its prey animals are normally rabbits, rodents, foxes, small deer and medium-sized birds it has an unusual aggression towards larger non-prey animals, including humans.
In 2015, an eagle owl was accused of more than 50 attacks on people in the town of Purmerend in the Netherlands. In one incident two runners from the local athletics club required stitches to head wounds inflicted by the bird’s talons. Townspeople took to carrying umbrellas at night to protect themselves until the owl was caught and taken to a sanctuary.
The following year, a man in Devon reported that he had been attacked by an eagle owl as he walked to work in the early hours of the morning. Luckily, he escaped without injury, but it was a sobering experience that he generously attributed to the bird mistaking his bald head for an egg.
Eagle owls live across much of Europe, including Scandinavian countries, as well as areas of Asia and north Africa. They are not fussy about their habitat and will happily live in forests, grasslands, in rocky mountainous regions or along sea cliffs. They are, however, highly territorial and will see off much larger birds of prey if they encroach on their range.
Martial Eagle
Africa’s largest eagle boasts a wingspan of up to 2.6m (8.5ft) and a body length of 85cm (2.7ft). It is a heavy bird, too, weighing up to 6kg (13lb). Martials inhabit the semi-desert areas of sub-Saharan Africa, on the open savanna and in its fringing woodlands. They will range across a wide area rather than maintain a specific territory. Efficient killers, these birds are sometimes referred to as leopards of the air.
They often come into conflict with farmers and game wardens because they are known for preying on livestock and game birds in addition to their usual varied diet of small mammals and reptiles. This persecution has unfortunately put martial eagles into the endangered species list.
Martials are one of the world’s ‘booted’ eagles – species denoted by the feathering that extends down their sturdy legs to the top of their feet, as opposed to the featherless legs of other raptors. Unlike golden eagles they spend most of their days patrolling the skies and they tend to be solitary, only pairing up to breed.
They have keen eyesight. Their eyes are large relative to their heads – almost as big as a human’s although their vision is much more acute – and they can spot potential prey from several miles away. They also have very long legs, an adaptation that is thought to assist them in capturing prey in long grass, and a wide gape that enables them to swallow their catch whole.
Philippine Eagle
This endemic raptor is so distinctive and magnificent that it was adopted as the national symbol of the Philippines. It lives in both the lowland and montane forests of the country’s four major islands – eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao, with the largest number inhabiting the latter. The Philippine eagle is often regarded as the world’s largest eagle in terms of length and wing surface, and the third largest by weight and overall bulk. It certainly has longer legs than any other eagle species.
The bird was formerly known as the monkey-eating eagle but as there are only two species of macaque monkeys in the Philippines – and they are almost as big as the bird and will fight back aggressively and often win in an attack – it cannot be said to feed exclusively on the primates. In fact, it is an apex predator in its habitat, feeding not only on monkeys but also large bats, deer, flying lemurs, reptiles, civet cats, rodents and large birds such as owls. Unfortunately for its reputation amongst local people, it will also take domestic dogs and cats and farm stock such as chicken and pigs.
It is this predation, as well as the bird’s need for a large range for hunting and raising its chicks, that has forced the Philippine eagle into the critically endangered category. It has become a victim of deforestation and habitat loss, as well as hunting, and there are now urgent measures being taken to protect the estimated 600 birds still living in the wild. Long jail sentences are threatened for killing a Philippine eagle and there is a captive breeding programme underway with the hope of eventually releasing birds into safe environments.
Steller’s Sea Eagle
Found in Russia, Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan, Steller’s sea eagle is the heftiest eagle in the world, weighing in at around 9kg (nearly 20lb). It also has a gigantic average wingspan of 2.5m (8ft) and the larger female has an average body measurement of 100cm (just over 3ft).
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That’s only a smidge shorter than harpy and Philippine eagles, although it definitely outweighs them both. This great bulk is achieved through its primary diet of cod, pollock, trout and salmon, although it will also take seabirds, grouse and owls, mink and foxes, and occasionally young seals.
One look at its massive bright yellow beak, huge yellow feet and long black talons and you know Steller’s is a fearsome predator. Its feet are ridged on the soles to help it hold onto a slippery fish and its grip is formidable, with the ability to pierce thick muscle through to the bone. Happily, the birds co-exist with humans, not viewing them as rivals. They can be found confidently hanging around fishing trawlers if they are familiar with them, although they will steer clear of strangers. So far as other eagles and land predators are concerned, they will aggressively drive them off carrion and steal their captured prey.
Unfortunately, although there are an estimated 4,000 on the Russian Kamchatka peninsula alone, this raptor is considered an endangered species. It has fallen victim to overfishing, water pollution, persecution by trappers and even lead poisoning from pellets ingested while scavenging on deer remains left by human hunters.
Blakiston’s Fish Owl
This fish owl is the largest owl species in the world, native to China, Japan and eastern Russian where it lives in mature riparian forests and floodplains, near lakes and rivers that do not freeze over in winter. It relies on old-growth trees to provide the cavities it needs to use as nesting holes, which have to be big enough to accommodate this robust bird.
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The raptor’s chubby-looking body weighs around 4kg (nearly 9lb) and measures up to 72cm (28in) in height with a wingspan greater than an eagle owl’s. Its legs are totally feathered and it is silent in flight, something that cannot be claimed by any of the eagle owl species – not that a quiet, stealth approach is particularly necessary in catching the pike, salmon, crayfish and crabs it favours among other species of fish and crustaceans.
Blakiston’s has an unusual hunting technique in that it wades through the shallows of a river or lake, or sits on a riverbank, waiting patiently for a fish to swim past. Small prey such as frogs are consumed on the spot, larger fish are dragged onto the bank and eaten to reduce the remains to a manageable size before they are carried off to cache or to feed chicks.
In Russia the owl is regarded as a food item by some local villagers but in Hokkaido in Japan it is revered by indigenous people as a divine being that protects their homes.
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- It skims the moors like a ghost, sports a wingspan wider than your outstretched arms and can drop on prey with pinpoint precision
- It weighs as much as house cat, has a wingspan the size of an average door and can hit 100 miles per hour when hunting - that's one formidable predator
