Birds of prey, also known as raptors, include hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, vultures, and other birds that primarily hunt and feed on vertebrates like mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and other birds. Many birds of prey have excellent eyesight and powerful talons that enable them to swiftly and accurately swoop down and grab prey. Some raptors are even capable of hurtling downwards at great speeds in a hunting technique called dive bombing.
Dive bombing allows birds of prey to build up considerable speed and momentum to strike prey with force from above. Not all raptors dive bomb, however. Only certain species with morphological adaptations like aerodynamic body shape, long pointed wings, and specialized feathers are equipped for this hunting behavior.
So which birds of prey can actually dive bomb?
Falcons
The falcon family Falconidae includes over 60 species of medium-sized raptors found worldwide. Falcons are renowned for their speed and agility in flight, making them excellent hunters of birds and small mammals. Many falcon species are adept at dive bombing, accelerating into very fast plunging dives called stoops to catch prey in midair.
Peregrine Falcon
The peregrine falcon is among the most spectacular dive bombers of all raptors. When hunting, peregrines will perch on high ledges or circle up to altitudes over 1 km above ground while scanning below for prey. Once a target is sighted, the peregrine folds its wings back and hurtles downwards in a nearly vertical stoop, reaching speeds of over 320 km/hr – the fastest of any animal on Earth! This makes the force of impact on prey extraordinarily powerful.
Merlin
Though smaller than the peregrine, the merlin is also an agile falcon adept at high-speed dive bombing. Merlins often hunt passerines like swallows, swifts, and larks by stooping on them from great heights at speeds up to 190 km/hr. Even when not striking prey, the force of wind from a stooping merlin can knock birds right out of the sky!
American Kestrel
The smallest falcon in North America, the American kestrel can’t achieve the sheer power and speed of larger falcons. But it is still capable of moderately fast stooping dives up to 95 km/hr to catch insects, small birds, and mammals. Kestrels often hover at height before plunging down on sighted prey.
Aplomado Falcon
An elegant tropical and subtropical falcon, the aplomado utilizes fast stooping dives up to 160 km/hr to catch birds, bats, and large insects in midair. It also sometimes performs a distraction display, stooping past over prey to startle it into movement and make it an easier target to catch.
Accipiters
In the family Accipitridae, accipiters are forest-dwelling hawks with short rounded wings and long tails that provide excellent aerial agility and maneuvering through dense habitat. Most accipiters will opportunistically stoop on prey when the chance arises.
Northern Goshawk
A bold and formidable accipiter, the northern goshawk is capable of swift, powerful flights through woodlands. It can perform accelerating stoops in excess of 160 km/hr to surprise squirrels, rabbits, and birds feeding on the ground. Goshawks may also stoop on other birds in flight.
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
The smaller cousin of the goshawk, sharp-shinned hawks aggressively stoop on small bird prey like finches, sparrows, and woodpeckers. A nimble accipiter adapted for maneuvering through dense cover, the sharp-shinned can perform stoops up to 120 km/hr in the small clearings and gaps of its forest home.
Cooper’s Hawk
An adept bird hunter, Cooper’s hawks specialize in stooping on unwary backyard feeder birds from concealed perches or while contour-hunting through trees. They achieve stooping speeds over 95 km/hr. Larger prey like squirrels and rabbits may be stooped on from greater heights.
Northern Harrier
Unlike most other accipiters, the northern harrier frequents open grasslands and marshes. It has a distinctive low flight style, gliding with wings held in a ‘V’ shape. From cruising flight, it can perform swift diving stoops on voles and other small mammals it detects in the grass below.
Buteos
Soaring hawks of the genus Buteo are larger raptors built more for endurance than agility. Most do not engage regularly in high-speed stooping. But a few buteos are adapted to take birds on the wing via shorter stoops.
Zone-Tailed Hawk
A tropical raptor of the Americas, the zone-tailed hawk is a uniquely stealthy ambush predator. It often flies slowly with its wings tilted in a ‘V’, resembling the turkey vulture it shares habitat with. This disguise allows the zone-tail to get in close range of feeding bird flocks before stooping on them by surprise from above.
Red-Tailed Hawk
The common and widespread red-tailed hawk is a versatile generalist predator, but is also capable of short stoops on birds, utilizing its agility when needed. Attacks are typically made by surprise from a concealed perch rather than high circling altitudes. Adult red-tails in particular occasionally prey on pigeons and doves with swooping stoops.
Ferruginous Hawk
A large open country buteo of western North America, the ferruginous hawk may opportunistically stoop on ground squirrels and rabbits from low circling flight. Though not a sustained high-speed attack, the sizable bulk of a ferruginous hawk gives its stoop considerable momentum.
Eagles
The large and powerful raptors in family Accipitridae known as eagles are not anatomically suited for high-speed aerial stooping. But a few species are big and agile enough to make limited short stoops on prey, especially scavenging birds.
Golden Eagle
This bold Northern Hemisphere eagle is big and maneuverable enough to perform short stoops on ground-dwelling mammals and also flocks of scavenging birds like ravens, gulls and ptarmigan. They may also pirate prey from other raptors with an aggressive swoop. Golden eagles reach speeds around 130 km/hr in these attacks – very fast for an eagle but not a true high-speed dive bomb.
Bald Eagle
Though bald eagles take live prey, they are more typically opportunistic scavengers. They have been observed making occasional short swooping dives up to 95 km/hr to startle and scatter flocks of gulls or waterfowl from carrion. This allows the bald eagle better access to food but is not a true precisely aimed stoop.
African Crowned Eagle
A powerful rainforest eagle and Africa’s top avian predator, the African crowned eagle is capable of short surprise swoops to knock arboreal monkeys and hyraxes out of trees for consumption. Their thick legs and toes allow them to generate substantial impact force, though their max stoop speed is only around 65 km/hr.
Vultures
Scavenging birds of prey in family Cathartidae with large wingspans, keen eyesight and minimal feathering on their heads. Vultures spend much of their time soaring high above scanning for carrion rather than live prey. They do not dive bomb for food. But turkey vultures and lesser yellow-headed vultures have been observed stooping at moderate speeds to displace black vultures from carcasses.
Turkey Vulture
With a wingspan over 1.8 m, turkey vultures are one of the largest flying birds in North America. They locate carrion by smell while soaring on air thermals and will rapidly descend to feed. Turkey vultures have been documented making aggressive swoops at speeds up to 95 km/hr when competing at carcasses with black vultures.
Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture
This mid-sized species native to Central and South America may aggressively stoop at speeds around 65 km/hr to displace black vultures from carrion. Despite their name, adult lesser yellow-headed vultures lack yellow heads and can only be distinguished from turkey vultures when very close.
Osprey
This unique fish-eating raptor is the sole living member of family Pandionidae. Ospreys have several highly specialized adaptations that enable them to dive feet-first into water to catch fish. And they are sometimes considered “honorary raptors” alongside true hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures.
Osprey
Ospreys have reversible outer toes, closable nostrils to keep out water, dense water-resistant plumage and backward-facing scales on their feet for better fish gripping. From hovering heights up to 30 m over water, they perform steep dives reaching speeds of 95 km/hr and can plunge up to 1 m below the surface while snatching fish with their talons.
Owls
The nocturnal and crepuscular raptors of order Strigiformes known as owls have excellent low-light vision and sensitive hearing that make them formidable nighttime hunters. A few larger owl species can make short stooping dives on prey from low elevations. But they lack adaptations for true fast and high-altitude dive bombing.
Great Horned Owl
The powerful and adaptable great horned owl occasionally takes birds on the wing, including ducks, geese, herons and other owls. It may stoop downwards from a perch at speeds up to 65 km/hr to surprise roosting birds. But its wings are broad and designed for silent flight, not high-speed dives.
Snowy Owl
A large Arctic owl that sometimes irrupts south, the snowy owl is an opportunistic predator of birds when present, including gamebirds and ducks. It has been observed dropping down up to 50 km/hr from utility poles to strike geese and other waterfowl, but does not perform true fast-diving stoops.
Northern Hawk Owl
A diurnal owl of northern forests, the northern hawk owl can perform short stoops up to 48 km/hr to catch birds and mammals off the ground or exposed on low perches. With its long tail and speedy direct flight, it has flight mannerisms more similar to an accipiter hawk than a stereotypical owl.
Conclusion
To summarize, the following birds of prey are confirmed to be capable of true fast-diving stoops used to strike prey on the wing:
Falcons
– Peregrine Falcon
– Merlin
– American Kestrel
– Aplomado Falcon
Accipiters
– Northern Goshawk
– Sharp-Shinned Hawk
– Cooper’s Hawk
– Northern Harrier
Buteos
– Zone-Tailed Hawk
– Red-Tailed Hawk
– Ferruginous Hawk
Eagles
– Golden Eagle
– Bald Eagle
– African Crowned Eagle
Vultures
– Turkey Vulture
– Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture
Osprey
– Osprey
Falcons are undoubtedly the most specialized and adept dive bombers, with peregrines holding the crown for fastest stoop speed. Accipiters also possess adaptations for swift stooping through dense habitat. Among larger raptors, golden eagles and zone-tailed hawks are standouts in their ability to perform limited diving attacks on other birds. And the osprey’s unique fish-snatching plunge dive is in a league of its own. Owls, vultures and most eagle species do not engage regularly in true fast dive-bombing behavior when hunting.
