About Raptors

     A raptor is a carnivorous (meat-eating) bird. All raptors share at least three main characteristics:

• Keen eyesight
• Eight sharp talons
• A hooked beak

Raptors have existed in some form for 50 to 75 million years. There are approximately 482 species of raptor worldwide, 304 diurnal (day-active) species and 178 nocturnal (night-active) species. This does not include the seven species of New World vultures. Raptors are also called birds of prey.

For the international conservation status of a particular species see the IUCN red list. 

For help in identifying raptors, check out the Guide to Identification of Midwest Raptors.

To explore individual species of raptors, click on a species name below.

American kestrel
Aplomado falcon
Bald eagle
Barn owl
Barred owl
Boreal owl
Broad-winged hawk
Burrowing owl
California condor
Common black hawk
Cooper’s hawk
Crested caracara
Eastern Screech-Owl
Ferruginous hawk
Golden eagle
Gray hawk
Great gray owl
Great horned owl
Gyrfalcon
Harris’ hawk
Long-eared owl
Merlin
Mississippi kite
Northern goshawk
Northern harrier
Northern hawk owl
Osprey
Peregrine falcon
Prairie falcon
Red-shouldered hawk
Red-tailed hawk
Rough-legged hawk
Northern Saw-whet owl
Sharp-shinned hawk
Short-eared owl
Snail kite
Snowy owl
Swainson’s hawk
Swallow-tailed kite
Turkey vulture
Zone-tailed hawk

While this list is not a complete list of the world’s raptors, it includes many of the species of raptors found in North America and all of the raptor species seen by The Raptor Center.