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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of bird of prey

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

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

Like the bird of prey seeking carrion, a foreign correspondent is characterized as a misery merchant or conflict cowboy, making a living from death and disaster.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2025

Flamstead Parish Council said a falconer had been brought into the Hertfordshire village to try and catch the bird of prey which had been swooping at residents for several weeks.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2025

He looked like an overgrown bird of prey.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling