A Golden Eagle can see a rabbit from as far as five football fields away. Most raptors catch their food by diving from the sky and pouncing with their strong legs and sharp, curved claws. Peregrine falcons catch their prey in the sky. Scientists think that they dive as fast as 250 miles per hour, making them the fastest animal on earth!
There are raptors living everywhere on earth except the North and South Poles and the middle of the oceans. Raptors choose homes that are safe places to live and where there are enough animals around to eat. Many raptors need forests and large trees to survive. They are very important to the web of life. Many of them are threatened or endangered and need our help to survive.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1998
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