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Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as ... The term raptor is derived from the Latin word rapio, meaning "to seize or take by force". [8]
In the late 1940s, a large, abrupt decline of prey birds came about. [6] On top of the pre-WWII causes of gradual decrease of population (e.g. shooting of birds, egg collecting, predators, etc.), the main component to the downfall was the popular use of an insecticide called DDT. [6]
Experiments on blue jays suggest they form a search image for certain prey.. Visual predators may form what is termed a search image of certain prey.. Predators need not locate their host directly: Kestrels, for instance, are able to detect the faeces and urine of their prey (which reflect ultraviolet), allowing them to identify areas where there are large numbers of voles, for example.
Birds have iron-containing materials in their upper beaks. There is some evidence that this provides a magnetic sense, mediated by the trigeminal nerve , but the mechanism is unknown. Cartilaginous fish including sharks and stingrays can detect small variations in electric potential with their electroreceptive organs, the ampullae of Lorenzini .
The successful and now widespread captive breeding of birds of prey began as a response to dwindling wild populations due to persistent toxins such as PCBs and DDT, systematic persecution as undesirable predators, habitat loss, and the resulting limited availability of popular species for falconry, particularly the peregrine falcon. The first ...
How do birds get their colors? Understanding bird coloration combines biology and physics. There are two primary ways that birds get their color: pigmentation and the physical structure of the ...
Anti-predator adaptation in action: the kitefin shark (a–c) and the Atlantic wreckfish (d–f) attempt to prey on hagfishes. First, the predators approach their potential prey. Predators bite or try to swallow the hagfishes, but the hagfishes have already projected jets of slime (arrows) into the predators' mouths.
Birds were used extensively during World War I. One homing pigeon, Cher Ami, was awarded the French Croix de guerre for his heroic service in delivering 12 important messages, despite having been very badly injured. [41] During World War II, the Irish Paddy, the American G.I. Joe and the English Mary of Exeter all received the Dickin Medal ...