bird of prey

American  

noun

1. any of numerous predacious, flesh-eating birds, as the eagles, hawks, kites, vultures, falcons, and owls, having a sharp, downwardly curved beak, talons, and, usually, soaring flight.

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bird of prey British  

noun

1. a bird, such as a hawk, eagle, or owl, that hunts and kills other animals, esp vertebrates, for food. It has strong talons and a sharp hooked bill

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Etymology

Origin of bird of prey

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bird of prey

This avian bystander may have recognized a fellow bird of prey in Coriolanus, whose role in the Roman ecosystem is necessary yet not fit for all purposes in a young democracy beset with growing pains.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

White-tailed eagles - the UK's largest bird of prey - will be released across Exmoor National Park after the government approved the latest stage in a controversial national reintroduction scheme.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

Britain's second largest bird of prey was wiped out in England during the 19th Century after a concerted campaign of hunting.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

Meanwhile the narrator’s financially devious husband appears as a vulture with “the brooding eye, the blood-tipped beak, the flabby folds of flesh” of a bird of prey.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

Pai moved with quick, jerky, impatient strides, swinging his stick, thrusting his head this way and that toward the workers he passed, like a long-necked bird of prey.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw