Photos That Prove Birds of Prey Are Just As Derpy As Any Other Animal
Our first full week of 2022 is almost over, and this week we have two bird-themed holidays to celebrate! National Bird Day on the 5th and Eagle Day on the 8th got us thinking about a category of animal that doesn't make it into many memes or cute GIFs: birds of prey. We usually think of these birds as big and threatening…but like any animal, sometimes they look silly, cute, or derpy. So we decided to round up the derpiest birbs of prey we could find for your enjoyment!
Along with these cute and silly photos, we've included some interesting facts about some of the birds. You may even see some birds that you've never heard of before! Be aware that this article will mention hunting, since that's what birds of prey do for food. But they all have different methods, and there's lots of cool stuff to know about them beyond that too! We hope you'll be reminded that birds of prey are still birbs, and that you'll learn something new.
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Peregrine falcons are well-known as one of the most fearsome birds of prey, but we can't help thinking they also look a little like an emo teenager who's still in their "my eyeliner is as black as my soul" phase. Interestingly, peregrine falcons have had a special relationship with humans for 3,000 years (wow!) as they've been used in "falconry", which is basically where people trained falcons to do their hunting for them. Presumably, the falcon gets a warm home and lots of snacks out of the bargain!
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Potoo birds, found in tropical Central and South America, eat all kinds of bugs by standing completely still on high tree stumps and snatching them out of the air as they fly by. They actually do everything on high tree stumps, including laying their eggs--they don't build a nest, they just find stumps with an indent and lay there. Potoos have an egalitarian breeding process--they mate for life and the male and female take equal turns incubating their single egg!
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Secretary birds are known for looking a little bit "off"--their long lashes and longer legs make them look more like aliens than land birds. Even though they're so skinny, they're pretty fierce--they get their prey by STOMPING it into the ground with a force of up to five times their weight! They eat mainly snakes, but plenty of other animals too. Also, they would definitely win in a makeup competition if you ask us.
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Redditor u/miguelopop posted this adorable video of a baby wedge-tailed eagle getting some head scritchies and LOVING it. Wedge-tailed eagles are the biggest bird of prey in Australia, and they say Australia is chock-full of things that can kill you…so you know this little beeb is going to grow into something awe-inspiring and kind of scary. But as we can see, even the most ferocious of hunters need love sometimes!
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Reddit user khramer22 was privileged enough to see this beautiful big boi in their very own yard! Reddit commenters came through and identified the bird as a Cooper's hawk, which hunts prey by following it low to the ground and surprising it. However, this one just looks extremely confused to be in someone's backyard and is probably very concerned that a human is taking its photo instead of running away or looking awestruck!
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