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

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

How do you share a film set with a notoriously fierce bird of prey?

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025

“He is a mix between a bird of prey, like a peregrine falcon, with extremely streamlined shapes — of course a feline but also a Mexican salamander called an axolotl,” Otto says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2025

Wildlife enthusiast Ian Glendinning has seen the UK's second biggest bird of prey many times in the Scottish Highlands, but he never expected to encounter one in his home county of Northumberland.

From BBC ● May 28, 2025

Dustfinger cursed under his breath, listened to the sounds of the night for a moment, then imitated the shrill cry of a bird of prey.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke