RAPTORS of Australasia
Raptors are carnivorous. They hunt by sight during the day, are long lived, and have low reproductive rates. The catch their prey via strong claws – three pointing forward and one pointing backward.
The raptors that hunt by day are: hawks, eagle, buzzards, harriers, kites, vultures, falcons, caracaras. Owls hunt by night. Raptors are also called birds of prey.
OWLS
Order Strigiformes
Owls are found on all continents except Antarctica. Owls are divided into two families: the typical owls, Strigidae; and the barn-owls, Tytonidae. They range in size from 13-70 cm. Owls do not construct nests, but rather look for a sheltered nesting site or an abandoned nest in trees, underground burrows, or in buildings, barns and caves.
Owls are solitary and nocturnal. They hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds though a few species specialize in hunting fish. Most hunt for prey only in the darkness. Much of the owls' hunting strategy depends on stealth and surprise. They are very quiet in flight plus they have dull colors. Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ear-holes, a hawk-like beak, a flat face, and usually a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye. The facial disc helps to funnel the sound of prey to their ears. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, as with other birds, and they must turn their entire head to change views. Owls can rotate their heads and necks as much as 270 degrees in either direction.
Family Strigidae
The owls in the Strigidae family are known as the true owls or the typical owls. See above for their description.
Genus Ninox
Owl, Barking Ninox connivens Found: Australia
Photographed by: Julie Edgley
Owl, Boobook aka Southern Boobook Ninox novaeseelandiae Found: Australia, New Zealand
Photographed by: 1) Hase - Queenstown's Kiwi Birdlife Park 2) Aviceda - Warkworth, New Zealand
3) David Cook - Wamboin, NSW, Australia 4) Oystercatcher
Order Strigiformes Family Tytonidae
Barn-owls are medium to large sized owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. They also differ from Strigidae owls in structural details relating in particular to the sternum and feet.
Genus Tyto
Owl, Barn Tyto alba Found: North America and almost everywhere else in the world
Photographed by: 1, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Carolina Raptor Center 2, 4, 7) Dick Daniels - Carolina Raptor Center
5) Dick - Center for Birds of Prey 6, 8) Dick - Eagle Encounters, South Africa
Owl, Eastern Grass Tyto longimembris Found: Australia , Asia
Photographed by John Gould
All photos on this site are available for general use. Please credit the photographer. Some images have additional constraints such as no commercial use or no modifications. Click the photo credit link for details. Dick Daniels, webmaster.