Books in Birds of Prey series

Using their long, pointed wings and tails, falcons dive toward prey at over 200 miles per hour! These high flyers are designed to be master predators. In combination with their speed, their sharp beaks make hunting a simple task. This title is a jammed-pack look at falcons as birds of prey. Action-packed narrative openings show the raptor on the hunt. Fun fact sidebars add bonus information of extremely high interest. Captions further explain photos. ""Types of"" infographic identifies familiar species. Species profile highlights statistics such as top speed and wingspan. Range maps show where certain species can be found.

Using intelligence and skilled flying, hawks are able to find great success in their hunting pursuits. These small predators use their talons to snatch prey, often in midair! This low-level title will take reluctant readers into the world of these feathered fighters through engaging text and eye-catching photos. Action-packed narrative openings show the raptor on the hunt. Fun fact sidebars add bonus information of extremely high interest. Captions further explain photos. ""Types of"" infographic identifies familiar species. Species profile highlights statistics such as top speed and wingspan. Range maps show where certain species can be found.

Owls are predators built to detect prey in the dark of night! Their ears become their eyes as papery feathers help them locate the direction of sounds, and noiseless flight then lets them swoop toward their prey undetected. Readers will learn about these unique birds of prey in this low-level title. Action-packed narrative openings show the raptor on the hunt. Fun fact sidebars add bonus information of extremely high interest. Captions further explain photos. ""Types of"" infographic identifies familiar species. Species profile highlights statistics such as top speed and wingspan. Range maps show where certain species can be found.

In spring and summer, there are falcons in most regions of North America, including metropolitan areas. If you live in New York or Chicago, you may have had the thrill of watching a peregrine falcon chase down a flying pigeon. It takes off from a tall building or bridge in a breathtaking dive, swooping down on the startled pigeon and grabbing it in midair with its sharp talons. It's easy to miss this performance on a crowded and noisy city street--unless you happen to be standing under the shower of pigeon feathers that ends the chase! Falcons are slender, long-winged birds of prey. These birds are some of the best hunters in the avian (bird) world, and falcons are among the most exciting to watch.

The next time you're in the countryside, keep your eyes on the sky. You just might see a red-tailed hawk soaring in circles above a highway or a field. North American hawks fall into four main groups: bird hawks, soaring hawks, kites, and harriers. All over North America, suburbs are expanding into undeveloped land. As a result, the woods and prairies that are closest to cities are disappearing. Not all hawk species are as adaptable as red-tails, which have adjusted to suburban habitats and even live in cities. (One famous pair nests on an apartment building on Fifth Avenue, across from New York City's Central Park!)

If you live by the ocean, you may have seen an osprey cruising over the water in search of a flounder. With its M-shaped wings, its profile against the sky looks like a giant sea gull. Or maybe you spent some time out West and were lucky enough to spot a golden eagle soaring high above the sagebrush. Humans have been the biggest threat to the survival of osprey and eagles. In recent years, strict protection laws have been passed to help these magnificent birds increase in number.

With their featherless, wrinkled heads, vultures may seem funny-looking. When they soar in the air, however, vultures are as graceful as any bird in the sky. The California condor, a type of vulture, is magnificent in flight. Vultures are birds of prey, which are also called "raptors." Like other raptors, vultures have curved claws called "talons," and sharp, hooked beaks for tearing apart prey. But they differ from other raptors in one important way -- vultures are scavengers. Almost all of their food is carrion (the bodies of dead animals).