{"id":29193,"date":"2021-12-21T09:59:33","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T09:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=29193"},"modified":"2021-12-21T09:59:34","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T09:59:34","slug":"the-fascinating-world-of-birds-of-prey-and-why-you-should-study-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/animal-care\/the-fascinating-world-of-birds-of-prey-and-why-you-should-study-them\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fascinating World of Birds of Prey and Why You Should Study Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The animal kingdom is full of exotic&nbsp;creatures&nbsp;that&nbsp;are not only admired around the world but also serve a crucial purpose&nbsp;to&nbsp;our planet and how it functions. There is an array of different&nbsp;species&nbsp;across land, air, and sea,&nbsp;and one of the most interesting&nbsp;of those&nbsp;dominates&nbsp;the skies.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/course\/birds-of-prey-studies-level-3-award-rqf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Birds of prey<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;are&nbsp;commonly known for their unrelenting&nbsp;pursuit of other animals for food.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, these&nbsp;birds have many other characteristics and features&nbsp;that&nbsp;make them stand out in the&nbsp;animal kingdom.&nbsp;For those of you who have an interest in British birds of prey or would love to know&nbsp;what the largest bird of prey is, continue reading!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have gathered&nbsp;an array of interesting facts&nbsp;that are sure to capture your attention and&nbsp;encourage you to learn more about birds of prey. UK learners can take their interest to the next level by studying a&nbsp;course dedicated to these wonderful creatures! Keep reading to find&nbsp;out how.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Define Birds of Prey&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The word \u2018prey\u2019&nbsp;instantly evokes a sense of authority. It is&nbsp;a word used to describe an animal that hunts down other living things to eat, which is the primary function of birds of prey, meaning that these winged creatures&nbsp;hunt down other animals for food.&nbsp;Most of us know them as birds of prey, but they are also called raptors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birds of prey, UK learners, are unsurprisingly predatory in their nature, as well as in their physical makeup. For example,&nbsp;British birds of prey and&nbsp;most of&nbsp;their&nbsp;overseas&nbsp;counterparts all have&nbsp;similar&nbsp;physical attributes, including:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Hooked bills\u00a0<\/li><li>Sharp talons\u00a0<\/li><li>Strong feet\u00a0<\/li><li>Expert eyesight\u00a0<\/li><li>Fine-tuned hearing\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All of&nbsp;the above&nbsp;enable birds of prey to detect their&nbsp;target&nbsp;quickly and catch them with ease,&nbsp;and this is often done during flight. By doing this, they&nbsp;are able to&nbsp;snatch their food and soar into the air&nbsp;to escape.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many birds of prey share&nbsp;similar physical characteristics,&nbsp;but they are not all the same in size. Some are&nbsp;much larger than others, but even the smallest bird of prey&nbsp;poses a&nbsp;significant threat.&nbsp;Birds of prey are located all over the world and they live in various habitats depending on the species of bird.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, you are likely to find a bird of prey in almost every type of habitat, from the desert to snowy mountainous ranges.&nbsp;British birds of prey are&nbsp;more commonly found in woodland and farmland, while some can reside in cities.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being apex predators, birds of prey&nbsp;are not only snatching up animals for food,&nbsp;but their function&nbsp;also helps to maintain environmental health, whether it is the largest bird of prey or the smallest.&nbsp;By&nbsp;grabbing animals that are old and weak&nbsp;and removing them from prey populations, they are helping to keep their natural habitat intact.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Birds of prey, UK learners, are also indicator species, meaning that&nbsp;any changes within their population gives us&nbsp;an insight into various threats to the environment. This could be anything from climate change&nbsp;to wildlife trade.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the Largest Bird of Prey in the World?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The largest bird of prey on our planet&nbsp;is the Andean Condor, which has an impressive wingspan of&nbsp;3 metres (9.8ft)&nbsp;and weighs up to 15kgs. It is an endangered species&nbsp;that&nbsp;is generally found in the mountainous regions of Chile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching an Andean Condor in full flight is a spectacular sight,&nbsp;but unlike many other birds of prey,&nbsp;they are not built for hunting. Their&nbsp;claws are not&nbsp;as long and sharp, but more rounded, and when it comes to feeding, this largest bird of prey will&nbsp;find a rotting animal to eat as opposed&nbsp;to catching something fresh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they are unable to find food, they&nbsp;can&nbsp;bring down medium sized sheep and small alpacas. Generally, though, they will locate a deceased animal and circle the area to make sure they\u2019re alone before descending.&nbsp;We have some more interesting facts about the largest bird of prey below:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Andean\u00a0Condor features on Chile\u2019s coat of arms\u00a0as their national bird\u00a0<\/li><li>Female condors have red eyes, while male condors have brown eyes\u00a0<\/li><li>They can fly as far as 180 miles in a single day searching for food\u00a0<\/li><li>When laying eggs, they choose the edge of a cliff rather than make a nest\u00a0<\/li><li>This largest bird of prey reproduces once every two or three years\u00a0<\/li><li>Andean\u00a0Condors\u00a0can live up to 50 years, with one of the oldest known to live up to 80 years old\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These fascinating creatures have sadly become endangered\u00a0as a result of\u00a0deforestation, animal trafficking,\u00a0poisoning and\u00a0poaching, with hunters targeting them for their feathers or bones. There are many organisations around the world\u00a0that focus on the conservation of birds of prey, as well as many other animals.\u00a0Even\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/conservation-and-environment\/why-are-zoos-important-in-conservation\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>zoos play an important role in conservation<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Study-Birds-of-Prey-.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Study-Birds-of-Prey-.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Study-Birds-of-Prey-.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Study-Birds-of-Prey--300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Study-Birds-of-Prey--768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which Bird of Prey has the Largest Wingspan?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We have identified the Andean Condor&nbsp;as the largest bird of prey, and this is partly due to its wingspan. As mentioned,&nbsp;it reaches over 3&nbsp;metres,&nbsp;but it is not the only bird of prey that boasts such an impressive wingspan. Below, we have highlighted other birds of prey that&nbsp;have a wingspan of over 3 metres (9.8ft).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lappet Faced Vultures&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>These birds of prey, UK learners, share the same wingspan as Andean Condors but they are slightly less heavy, weighing in at around 14kgs.&nbsp;They are known for preying on gazelles,&nbsp;antelopes&nbsp;and flamingos, and they are commonly found in African savannahs and Arabia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">California Condor&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While the Andean Condor is the largest bird of prey in the world, the California Condor is thought to be the largest bird in North America. As well as a wingspan of more than 3 metres, this bird of prey weighs up to 12 kgs.&nbsp;They typically source deer, sheep, rabbits, rodents, and cattle&nbsp;as food.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bearded Vulture&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Found in Asia, Africa, and Europe, the Bearded Vulture, also known as Lammergeyer,&nbsp;scavenge for their food. Generally, they&nbsp;pick up deceased animals and drop them from a significant height to break their&nbsp;bones before feeding on the marrow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weird and Wonderful Facts About Birds of Prey, UK Learners&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Much like a bird\u2019s prey, you must already be hooked by these fascinating creatures&nbsp;after learning more about them! Well, we have more&nbsp;interesting facts about birds of prey that you can explore below:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Almost all birds of prey, UK learners, are anti-social as they want to avoid competition for their prey\u00a0<\/li><li>Their styles of flight differ;\u00a0they can glide and soar while searching for prey and then dive powerfully and quickly when trying to capture\u00a0<\/li><li>The\u00a0Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on the planet, with National Geographic claiming that the highest speed recorded is\u00a0242 miles per hour (mph)\u00a0<\/li><li>Most birds of prey are silent\u00a0to prevent scaring off their prey. The only time they are likely to make a sound is\u00a0when in distress\u00a0<\/li><li>Birds of prey tend to mate for life\u00a0<\/li><li>Many cultures\u00a0believe birds of prey represent strength, power, and freedom\u00a0<\/li><li>They eat the entire body of their\u00a0prey, including fur or feathers, bones, teeth, muscles, and organs. Any indigestible parts, such as bones\u00a0and fur, are regurgitated by the bird every 1-2 days\u00a0<\/li><li>Some hunt from the air, while\u00a0others hunt on the ground\u00a0<\/li><li>The eyesight of birds of prey, UK learners, is\u00a0one of the best around! They can see 8 times as far in\u00a0the\u00a0distance as humans can. This means that they can spot their prey from about 2 miles away\u00a0<\/li><li>Birds of prey can maintain focus in three different fields of view at one time\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How&nbsp;to&nbsp;Study British Birds of Prey&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no doubt that birds of prey are among the most fascinating creatures in the animal kingdom.&nbsp;If you have a keen interest in this range of species and would like to learn more or pursue a career in&nbsp;this field, then consider enrolling on a course. With&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Stonebridge Associated Colleges<\/strong><\/a>, you can&nbsp;study&nbsp;these wonderful creatures, whether you want to focus on British birds of prey or the world\u2019s largest bird of prey, our courses&nbsp;cover the essentials.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among our extensive&nbsp;portfolio of courses is the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/course\/birds-of-prey-studies-level-3-award-rqf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Birds of Prey Studies Level 3 Award (RQF)<\/strong><\/a>, an Ofqual regulated online course that&nbsp;covers the biology and welfare of birds of prey.&nbsp;As part of your course, you will benefit from a 1-day practical&nbsp;session at the Wye Valley Falconry in Herefordshire.&nbsp;During this day, you will&nbsp;learn the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Birds of prey diet\u00a0<\/li><li>Birds of prey housing\u00a0<\/li><li>Bird health\u00a0<\/li><li>Exercise and enrichment\u00a0<\/li><li>Usage of various equipment\u202f\u00a0<\/li><li>Bird law\u00a0<\/li><li>Bird care and welfare\u202f\u00a0<\/li><li>Transporting and safe handling\u202f\u00a0<\/li><li>Bird tracking using technology\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Course-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Course-1.jpg\" alt=\"Study Animal Courses Online\" class=\"wp-image-29198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Course-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Course-1-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Course-1-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The course is broken down into&nbsp;the two following units:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unit 1: Birds of Prey\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>During this unit, you will&nbsp;explore the different types of birds of prey that are found in the wild as well as in captivity.&nbsp;You will also&nbsp;learn about the various habitats and the threats that British birds of prey face&nbsp;on a daily basis. Once you have completed this unit, you will also have a solid understanding of the basic biological makeup of birds of prey.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unit 2: Care and Welfare of Birds of Prey\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The second part of the unit will cover welfare, healthcare, and common diseases felt by birds of prey. UK learners will also&nbsp;learn about the creatures\u2019 nutritional requirements, and what to do when emergency care is needed. You will also learn how best to rehabilitate birds of prey and&nbsp;release them back into the wild.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To pass the course, you will&nbsp;need to complete a series of theory assessments based on the units&nbsp;covered.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Study Birds of Prey?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you currently work with birds of prey and want to enhance your knowledge, or you are keen to&nbsp;embark on a career related to the welfare of birds of prey, then our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/course\/birds-of-prey-studies-level-3-award-rqf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Level 3 course<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;is hugely beneficial. Not only that, but the knowledge you gain will allow you to push on to higher education study,&nbsp;occupational training, or a volunteering position.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like so many animals on our planet, birds of prey need protecting due to threats of endangerment. By studying these wonderful creatures, you have an opportunity to&nbsp;contribute to conservation efforts.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If&nbsp;your interest in protecting&nbsp;animals&nbsp;extends beyond birds of prey&nbsp;to lions&nbsp;and tigers, then&nbsp;we have advice on how you can&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/conservation-and-environment\/how-to-study-big-cats-and-pursue-a-career-in-conservation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>pursue a career in the conservation of Big Cats<\/strong><\/a><strong>.&nbsp;<\/strong>Moreover, if you\u2019re seeking a career change and would love to&nbsp;protect endangered species,&nbsp;there are steps you can take to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/uncategorised\/how-to-switch-my-career-to-wildlife-conservation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>switch your career to wildlife conservation<\/strong><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Enrol Today!&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you would like to learn more about our range of\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/category\/all-veterinary-science-and-animal-care-qualifications\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>animal courses<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or enrol on our\u00a0birds of\u00a0prey course, then speak to one of our Course Executives today! Give us a call on\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" href=\"tel:01213928288\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>0121 392 8288<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or contact us\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/support.stonebridge.uk.com\/support\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>online<\/strong><\/a>. Alternatively, click below to discover how\u00a0to\u00a0get your new career off the ground!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/course\/birds-of-prey-studies-level-3-award-rqf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Online-Courses.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Online-Courses.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Online-Courses-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Birds-of-Prey-Online-Courses-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The animal kingdom is full of exotic&nbsp;creatures&nbsp;that&nbsp;are not only admired around the world but also serve a crucial purpose&nbsp;to&nbsp;our planet and how it functions. There is an array of different&nbsp;species&nbsp;across land, air, and sea,&nbsp;and one of the most interesting&nbsp;of those&nbsp;dominates&nbsp;the skies.&nbsp;Birds of prey&nbsp;are&nbsp;commonly known for their unrelenting&nbsp;pursuit of other animals for food.&nbsp; However, these&nbsp;birds have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":29195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[325,895],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animal-care","category-online-courses"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29193"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29199,"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29193\/revisions\/29199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stonebridge.uk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}