Audubon Adventures

Hunter and Hunted

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  Elf Owl: This tiny owl flies through the night air of the desert. It hunts spiders, scorpions, and insects both in the air and on the ground. Its sand- and gravel-colored feathers help to camouflage it.

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  Golden Eagle: Its size and strength enable it to hunt and kill even large mammals such as foxes in its open country home. With its heavy, hooked beak this raptor easily tears the flesh from its prey.

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  Goshawk: Broad, rounded wings allow it to fly low through the tangled forest. Twisting and turning through the trees with its long rudder-like tail, it often hunts chicken-like birds living on the ground.

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  Red-tailed Hawk: Soaring high above the meadow, its keen eyes pick out the slightest movement of the small mammal in the grass below. The hawk circles closer, then drops in an instant on its prey.

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  Osprey: Hovering over the river, it suddenly drops on half-closed wings. The outstretched talons are covered with tiny spines – perfect for gripping slippery prey snatched right out of the water.

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  Peregrine Falcon: It patrols the city skies with powerful strokes of its long pointed wings. Its feathered prey tries to escape, but the falcon kills it in mid-air with one blow from its sharp talons.