bird of prey
- 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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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. 2018
Examples from the Web for bird of prey
Historical Examples
Who call from the sunrise a Bird-of-prey, from a land far-off the Man of My counsel.
The Expositor's BibleGeorge Adam Smith
Bird-of-prey here has been thought to have reference to the eagle, which was the standard of Cyrus.
The Expositor's BibleGeorge Adam Smith
bird of prey
- 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
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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