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bird of prey

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noun

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.

Origin of bird of prey

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bird of prey

predator, raptor

Examples from the Web for bird of prey

Historical Examples of bird of prey

  • Who call from the sunrise a Bird-of-prey, from a land far-off the Man of My counsel.

    The Expositor's Bible

    George Adam Smith

  • Bird-of-prey here has been thought to have reference to the eagle, which was the standard of Cyrus.

    The Expositor's Bible

    George Adam Smith

British Dictionary definitions for bird of prey

bird of prey

noun

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 billRelated adjective: raptorial
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012