Top 10 Largest Birds of Prey

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• published: 29 Dec 2015
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Top 10 Largest Birds of Prey 1. The Harpy Eagle is arguably the most powerful of all the eagles, it can weigh nearly 9kgs and is 105cm at its longest. The talons on its feet are longer than a bears! If a harpy ever got hold of you, it could snap your arm like a twig and you need to hope it's not your head it grabs because it can crush skulls too. Although there has never been an attack on a human before. Most of their diet is from monkeys and sloths with the occasional parrot thrown in too. Their wings span a quite short 2 metres for such a large bird and its because of them adapting to flying through dense forest. The harpy is on the endangered list because of habitat destruction with some local people regarding them as legend or myth. 2. I bet you thought vultures were just scavengers intent on stealing other predators prey, well think again. The bearded vulture is one of the largest raptors in the world. It can weigh a hefty 8kg and its wings span over 3 metres. The bearded vulture are mostly scavengers but they can also hunt very well too. They tend to pick up bones of dead animals and drop them from huge heights until they break open, feasting on the nutritious marrow inside. They've also been known to do this with tortoises. They have a distinct dislike for anything rotten and will only feast on fresh kills. Their hunting technique also differs from others raptors, in that they aren't built to hunt and kill so they would swoop near cliff edges and cause animals to fall to their deaths before picking their carcass. 3. The largest owl in the world is the Blakiston fish owl, which, as i'm sure you've guessed, eats mostly fish. It was a wingspan of 2 metres and weighs 4.5kg. These owls were once thought to be quite sociable animals but the truth is that they are usually found alone or in pairs, and they only gather in larger numbers when food is very scarce 4. The crowned eagle has a shortish wingspan of 2 metres and reaches 90cm long, despite this size it has been observed taking down animals weighing 30kg. It is an extremely aggressive species and is called the leopard of the sky, mainly because of its talent of remaining unnoticed before swooping and killing immediately. Its talons can crush skulls and will cause eyes to pop out of sockets in a single attempt. There have been skulls found of ancient human sub species with talon marks in them from this bird. In Zambia, a seven year old was once attacked by a Crowned Eagle in his way to school. He received serious injury to the head, chest and arms as the raptor tried unsuccessfully to carry him away, and was only saved when a woman arrived on time to help him and managed to kill the bird. There were no nests found in the local area and the bird was found to be quite young, meaning it was simply attacking to kill. 5. The lappet faced vulture is easily the most famous face when it comes to vultures, often seen picking the bones of other animals kills on the African savannahs. They have a wingspan of 3 metres and can weigh a meaty 14kgs, making them extremely formidable. They have much larger, sharper and stronger beaks than any of the condor family. The lappet will both scavenge and hunt, killing any animal it deems a meal. It will also steal and eat other birds eggs. Their size and dominance means they are usually allowed first pickings when it comes to carcasses and it has extremely aggressive nature towards anything and anyone. Even bigger cats such as cheetahs will remain well back from them. Top 10 Biggest Birds of Prey Check out other channels in our network - BABOON TV: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrT-gj4C3qkCfsTgs7-rp9w ROCK BEARD: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDnhRBA3A5x1dArhcvtDWAw