The Largest Bird of Prey is not only large but also pretty awesome. But do you know what a bird of prey is? Bird of prey is this kind of bird who has strong talon, sharp vision sense, strong beak which is carved and has the ability to tear fleshy tissue. For the fearsome character, we called this type of birds as the birds of prey. However, the size, length and some characteristics of prey birds are different from other birds. Here we come with the prey bird list containing the giant bird of prey in the world, heaviest prey birds, etc.
Top 10 Largest Bird of Prey
There are many birds of prey worldwide. Among them, we try to make a list of top ten largest birds of prey. Let’s get familiar with them.
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Crowned Eagle
Image Source: Wikipedia
Crowned eagle is considered as the largest bird of prey ever in the world. It is also known as the African crowned eagle because it is available in South Africa. This bird has strong black legs and large talons. For these reasons, it is known as the powerful eagle when you measure it with the weight of the prey items. This eagle likes to prey on mammals up to 30 kg weight such as ungulates, rock hyrax, monkeys, large lizards and some others. However, crowned eagle is not a migratory bird. It likes to inhabit a permanent territory during the adult age.
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Cinereous Vulture
Cinereous vulture is also known as the Eurasian black vulture. It is a large bird but pretty bird. The family of this bird is Accipitridae. Other prey birds such as kites, harriers are also the same family bird of Eurasian vulture. However, the size of this bird is 14 kg. The color of this bird is black, and the body starts with brown color and covers with blackish feathers. But the head and neck color are bluish-gray. It is a solitary bird and frequent than other old vultures. Generally, this bird is available in Asia and also in Europe.
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Bald Eagle
Image Source: Pixabay
The Bald eagle is the national bird of the USA. The feathers of this eagle are snow white color. Generally, it is a sea eagle. It is also found in Canada and Australia. This bird spreads its large wings and flies over the sea to get its meal. They live in the nest of old trees. The main food of this bird is fish. The weight of this bird is one metric ton. It gets the sexual maturity when it is five years old. Though bald eagle is not bald, people call it as the bald eagle. However, the female bird is longer than a male.
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California Condor
California Condor is the California bird of prey. It is the largest North-American bird. The weight of this bird is up to 12 kg. This bird mainly eats the dead animals such as deer, sheep, and other cattle. The color of this bird is black. But the wing’s underside is white, and the head is bald. However, this bird lives in the rocky mountain and coniferous forests. They make their nests on the large trees.
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Griffon Vulture
Image Source: KuwaitBirds.Org
Griffon vulture is the biggest bird of prey. It comes from the family Accipitridae. Griffon Vulture is also known as Eurasian Griffon. It is very much similar to the white-beaked vulture. The length of this bird is 37-48 inch, and the weight is up to 10 to 14 kg. The hatched naked bird has a white head and extremely broad wings with a short tail. Its body is covered with dark feathers. Like most other vulture, it likes to eat dead animals. Besides, it makes the nest on the high cliff that is not reachable by humans. It also eats carrion.
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Harpy Eagle
The Harpy eagle is also known as harpy eagle. It is the most powerful and the largest eagle in the area of rainforest. This bird is found in the tropical rainforests of America and Brazil. It is also known as the royal eagle. However, the body of this bird is covered with black feathers. But the underside contains white feathers. There is a black band cross on the upper breast that separates the head from the belly. Besides, the color of the head is gray, and belly color is white. This bird preys mammals such as monkey and other birds.
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Wedge-Tailed Eagle
The Wide-tailed Eagle is one of the most abundant birds in Australia. Besides, you can find it in New Guinea and Indonesia. The bird is pretty looking with its long wings with fine feathered. However, it likes to prey rabbits and small kangaroos. They can fly so high but able to see the prey.
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Philippine Eagle
It is mostly known as the monkey-eating Philippine eagle. The brown and white colored eagle is beautiful to see. The eagle is up to 102 cm long with up to 8 kg weight. It is the largest eagle in consideration of the wings. The eagle has a brown crest, dark face, dark brown body, and white underside. Besides, the legs are yellow in color and beak is deep gray. The lifetime of this eagle is 30 to 60 years.
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Andean Condor
It is another largest bird of prey. It is 3 meters long and 15 kg weight. However, this Andean condor lives in the mountainous area where there is enough wind to fly with this big body. It is a kind of vulture who prey large carrion. But this Andean condor is well-shaped than California condor. The foods it eats are rodents and small animals. Besides, it consumes frozen mice, rats, frozen rabbits, etc.
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Great Grey Owl
The great grey owl is the largest owl by its length. It is also known as the cinereous owl, Lapland owl. It is 33inch long. However, it covered with fluffy feathers with 2.84 lb weight. You will find this species in both Hemispheres. When it gets an adult, it has a round head with a grey face. The eye of this owl is yellow with dark circles. But this bird of prey does not eat any large raptor. This bird likes to listen for food, wait and then prey it. Grey Owl is a nocturnal bird of prey. So, it is active in the night.
Finally
Birds are natural beauty. The birds of prey are pretty looking and scary too. The largest bird of prey flies with the giant wings so far away from the land and look for its prey with sharp eyes. Besides, this type of birds keeps the nature clean and well-balanced.
Alan Osborn
There is some misinformation presented in this list. Condors and vultures are not birds of prey. They are raptors but they do not hunt their own prey. They are scavengers and do not belong in a list with birds of “prey” which prey on and hunt other animals, as the monicker “birds of prey” suggests. I see this often and cringe when true scavenger birds, vultures and condors are included in such writings and articles about birds of prey.