Original subtitles

Owls...

Falcons...

Eagles

and hawks.

These hunters use heightened senses

to spot their victims from a distance,

seeing and hearing what others can't.

Then, they attack with precision and skill...

all from a birds eye view.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)

Stillness.

Quiet.

The coast is clear.

The perfect time to forage for food.

Isn't it?

(Screech)

For the Great Horned Owl it is.

So the strategy of the great horned owl when hunting

is they usually sit stealthy in a tree.

They look like the bark of a tree.

They blend right into the bark of a tree, they sit there,

and when prey moves, they'll try to dive down

and use their stealth and their silent flight

to catch that rodent.

Owls are familiar birds of prey,

but they have an unusual gift for homing in on their quarry.

These specialized tools give them an edge.

(Screech)

Many owl species around the world have asymmetrical hearing,

so one ear is above the other ear.

So what that does is allows them

to have perfect depth perception.

So they can actually hear a mouse or rodent

either making noise under the snow

or making noise in the grassland

or even making noise in the forest,

so they can home in exactly

where that mouse is only using hearing,

many times not even using their eyesight.

The super hearing ability of owls enables them

to pinpoint their prey with incredible accuracy.

(Screech)

This super sense isn't just dependent on their ears.

Almost every part of its body has evolved to support

its hearing.

Owls seem to have large heads.

But it's just an illusion.

Their facial feathers make their heads seem larger.

But they also grow in the formation of a parabolic dish.

This shape helps focus the sound waves onto their ears

and maximizes the volume of audio information

they can collect.

Much like when you put your hands up to your ears

to hear something a long way away,

it makes your head look a lot bigger, but in the owl's case,

it's only feathers that are supporting that parabolic dish

so they can use their hearing to find their dinner.

And the eyes...

Mesmerizing.

Haunting.

Like all birds of prey, their eyeballs don't move.

They're locked in place.

Fixed eyeballs give owls a much-needed constant

in a hunt filled with constantly changing variables.

Owls don't have the ability to move their eyes,

but they certainly have the ability to move their head.

Owls can turn their head about three quarters of a turn in

either direction.

As humans, we can only turn about 70 degrees in each

direction.

But when their head moves,

their hearing and their eyesight move together,

which allows them to of course look around

and hear around at the same time,

which gives them a great advantage

when they're out hunting.

These fine tuned and precise head movements

indicate a critical stage in the hunt.

Audio and visual come together.

The target is set.

And it's time to move.

Even while in full flight,

owls continue to collect data

on the location of their prey.

Most owl species are designed with silent flight,

so when they flap their wings, they don't make any sound.

They have specially designed flight feathers,

very loosely feathered in the chest

so they can fly through the air quietly.

A lot of people assume that's so they can sneak up on their prey.

Absolutely not.

It's so they can actually listen to their prey.

So if they made a lot of noise with their flight feathers,

they'd be listening to themselves and not their dinner,

so they fly silently so they can use their hearing.

When the brains have done their job,

brawn takes over.

So the great horned owls are some of the strongest feet

in the world for their size.

They've been measured over 400 PSI.

That's pounds per square inch of pressure

at the tips of the talons, incredibly strong.

They even have the talons a bit serrated,

which gives them the ability to hold onto things

once they go in.

And the talons have a narrow channel running along

them called a blood groove.

When the owl grabs onto a rodent,

blood leaks out of the puncture along the groove,

so the talons don't seal up the wound.

And their mouth of course,

is actually quite a bit wider

than a lot of other birds of prey species

and the reason why is it allows them

to be able to swallow many of their prey completely whole.

They have a trachea under their tongue like a snake,

so if they're swallowing something too big,

they can actually breathe under their tongue.

(♪♪♪)

(Screech)

Owls locate,

kill and consume with mastery.

All in deadly silence.

Falcons come in many sizes.

But when it comes to speed

there's only fast and extra fast.

(Wings flapping)

Soaring at 500ft,

a falcon can detect the tiniest motion far below.

It dives

at 60 mph

120...

240...

The tiny creature never stood a chance.

All Falcons are efficient predators.

But the peregrine falcon is in a league of its own.

Reaching speeds of over 217 mph.

It's the fastest animal on the planet.

At top speeds, one of the greatest challenges

is simply breathing.

So you've probably been at high speed,

maybe on a boat or something like that,

you open your mouth and all the air is rushing in

and its really hard to breath,

but you're gonna close your mouth a little bit,

and allow a little bit less air in cause air is coming in fast,

the same with the peregrine falcon and their nostrils.

When they go into a high speed dive,

they actually have a cone in their beak

that raises a little bit, allows less air in,

and of course allows them to breath at high speed.

Without these adaptations,

the peregrine falcon's lungs

would be flooded with too much air.

These delicate organs couldn't take it.

Tests by German scientists using trained falcons

may have uncovered the secret of the world's fastest animal.

The study captured high-speed images of falcons diving.

Using these images, they built model life-size falcons,

and tested them in wind tunnels

to measure the drag and lift on the body.

They determined that while diving,

small feathers pop up on the falcon's upper back.

This increases speed by reducing drag

and could be the reason this winged daredevil

can move so fast and live to tell the tale.

(Chirping)

This much smaller falcon might not be able

to compete for speed, but its eyesight is beyond compare.

The American kestrel is about the size of a mourning dove.

It's the smallest falcon in the Americas.

This diminutive cousin of the peregrine falcon

has a formidable predatory adaptation all its own.

Kestrels have been studied extensively

for their great eyesight

and also they're known now

to see into the infrared spectrum of light.

And they think kestrels use that so when they fly over a field

they can see urine trails for mice

and know its good hunting grounds,

obviously the more urine trails they see,

they know that there's lots of mice available.

Once they narrow down a key location for prey,

another skill kicks in.

Different kestrel species worldwide

have the ability in most cases to hover,

so they can sit in one place almost like a kite on a string

and when their prey breaks cover

they'll dive down from the height advantage

of being right over it and be able to capture the prey

on the ground or in the air.

The peregrine and the kestrel have different approaches.

But when it's time to kill

these two falcons rely on the same tools to finish the job.

All falcons have a specially designed beak.

It has a 90 degree angle in it,

a little tooth that sticks out, one on both sides,

so when they take their prey down using their speed

and their feet,

they immediately go right to the spinal column,

right to the neck and will dislocate a backbone,

subduing their prey so the prey doesn't fight back.

This powerful tool gives both the peregrine falcon

and the American kestrel

the ability to take down prey twice their size.

Sometimes their catch may be too big to eat in one sitting

but, for falcons a big kill, is an investment in the future.

Falcons will cache prey,

so they'll leave it somewhere,

almost like a safety deposit box,

and they'll come back and eat it.

Particularly when they're feeding young,

when their young have hatched.

Planning for the future is just one of the many traits

that make falcons successful.

Big or small, falcons survive using speed,

control and precision.

(♪♪♪)

The bald eagle is truly an icon.

With laser-sharp eyes and deadly talons on powerful feet,

this bird of prey is a phenomenal hunter.

Eagle eyes.

The cliché is so ubiquitous;

it's easy to forget where it comes from.

Cruising at 40 mph

an eagle can spot prey from up to 2 miles away.

He pinpoints his target with predatory binocular vision...

Dives...

Accelerates to almost a 100 mph.

Seizes...

(Water splashes)

And crushes its victim with razor-sharp talons

10 times stronger than a human's grip.

Throughout the history of civilization,

the eagle, in all of its forms, has symbolized power.

In North America, the symbolism lives on

in the bald eagle.

(Calling)

After a brush with extinction in the 1980s,

this majestic animal now lives in virtually

every part of North America.

They are large voracious carnivores.

Proficient aquatic predators.

They need meat.

And lots of it.

Bald eagles are found near large bodies of water

for the simple fact they're a large-bodied bird,

they hunt a lot of larger things - waterfowl, ducks,

geese - and all those tend to be at lot of open water.

(Wings flapping)

From beak to tail they are 40 inches long.

Their wingspan is much as 7 feet.

Males can be up to 8 pounds,

while females can be 25% bigger,

up to 14 pounds.

That size advantage is unusual in the animal world

but not for birds of prey.

There are larger birds out there.

But in the hearts and minds of many wildlife enthusiasts,

the bald eagle soars above all others.

Clearly this handsome hunter is not bald at all.

The name comes from the old English word "Balde"

meaning "white".

The eyes...

are almost as large as a human's...

But our vision pales in comparison.

Its vision is probably between four and seven times

stronger than humans depending on what expert you talk to.

Now you have to remember they see faster than us,

so we see about 28 to 30 frames per second--

they see over 100 frames per second.

So they can see speed really easy.

Where we can move our eyes side-to-side,

birds of prey can't.

They actually have to move their head,

but it's advantageous that their eyes are at a steady platform,

they're almost like a gyroscope, their neck access,

and they can use that binocular vision and pull focus,

which allows them to have almost something called tunnel vision,

so they can see something and focus on it,

be able to fly up and down.

They head stays still and they can still hone in

on what they're trying to hunt.

They are fully capable of hunting

a wide array of small animals

but they're designed specifically to kill fish.

As they lock onto the target,

a nictitating membrane closes over to protect the eyeballs.

It blinks every 3-4 seconds to keep the eye moist and clean.

But because it's translucent, vision is maintained.

Then the talons go to work.

Bald eagles don't have as long talons

as some of the other birds of prey or raptor species,

for the simple fact is they are fish-catchers,

so they don't need the big hook on their talons.

They do have slightly curved talons,

but it makes it a bit easier if they're not hooked

all the way around.

It makes it much easier to grab into slippery things like fish,

but also on their feet

they have almost like sandpaper or like treads on your shoes

that allows them to have grip so they can hold on to fish

or other slippery things.

They have a hook on the end of their beak

which acts just like us using a fork,

so their feet do the killing,

and where their feet make little holes in their food,

they can stick their beak in that hole and pull little pieces

off because they're certainly not going to be able to swallow

their food whole when they catch something as large as, say,

a 2-kilo rainbow trout.

They're able to put their hook in the beak in and pull it out

in little pieces, and they've got perfect sashimi for the rest

of the day.

Eagles have been used as symbols of power and integrity.

Perhaps because of their reputation as great hunters

or because they look intimidating.

But in the wild, eagles do what needs to be done to survive.

And that means they're just as happy feasting

on other animals' kills.

Bald eagles are considered to be about a 50/50 predator,

so 50 percent of their dinner is carrion,

50 percent is they catch live,

so essentially they're opportunistic.

Whatever presents them,

whatever the easiest food source is at the time,

they'll certainly consume it,

and if they don't have to catch it,

if it's sitting laid out for them dead on the shore,

perfect opportunity to have a free meal.

And if they can't fulfill their needs

through hunting and scavenging,

Bald eagles have another trick up their sleeves.

When it's time to eat, they're not above stealing.

Bald eagles are kleptoparasitic.

They're food pirates.

If they see another eagle with a fish

they have not problem swooping down

to snatch it out of its talons.

Many times the other bird will drop it

and the bald eagle will either catch it in the air

or catch it on the surface of a lake.

If they see a cormorant with a fish,

they're just going to snatch the cormorant and the fish.

(Splash)

Whether they have to beg, borrow or steal,

these birds of prey will take any food.

They're savvy survivors with a firm grip on their role

as America's icon.

Some hawks hunt in packs,

eating prey twice their size,

while others search in solitude.

Up here, this solitary Harris hawk

looks like it doesn't need any help.

With its razor-sharp vision, prey hardly stands a chance.

Now, it's just a waiting game.

And when it finally zeroes in on its target -

it rarely misses.

But, if it does, it's no big deal.

Because there's always another hawk right behind

to pick up the slack.

Harris hawks are one of the few birds of prey

that hunt in packs.

Their pack is called the family unit,

very well organized, they're essentially all related

with each other, so it could be mum and dad,

siblings from the year before or it could be uncles and aunts

all working together as a team,

very similar to how wolves would hunt together.

Hunting as a group means that a Harris hawk

has a better chance of getting a meal--

a strategy that evolved

because they mostly live in deserts,

where food is scarce.

The group dynamic increases their chances of finding food

where there is little.

The strategy is for this hawk to work in groups of 2 to 6.

Each has a specific job.

It might be to flush out prey from the bush,

while others wait to make the kill.

The best view is always from high up.

The thermal breezes from below allow them to gain altitude.

They do soar quite a bit too,

making use of the thermal heat currents coming off the earth

and they can sit on those and that's like a hot-air balloon

pushing them in the air...

All hawks have incredible eyesight.

They see in color as humans do.

Also they can see in the ultraviolet range,

which allows them to spot prey at dusk.

And the position of their eyes

gives them an additional advantage.

Hawks, just like the other birds of prey,

have fully binocular vision, so they can actually adjust focus

as they go.

This is very beneficial when you're pursuing an animal

that's quite fast, they can adjust,

naturally within their eye, to be able to spot something,

look at it, and be able to pursue it

without taking their eyes off it.

What allows hawks to continue that pursuit

at high speed

is the same type of semi-transparent membrane

that protects eagles' eyes.

It moves across from side to side like a windshield wiper.

It moistens the eye

and allows them to be able to see at fairly high speeds,

and this is a great advantage over humans

because we have to blink all the time

and by blinking we take our vision away.

Basically we're shutting our eyes for a split second

where hawks don't have that.

The see-through membrane allows the hawk

to never lose sight of its quarry.

To make the perfect kill,

Harris hawks rely on brute strength--

using particularly large and powerful beaks and talons.

Hawks vary in size from species to species.

The Harris hawk has an average wingspan of 45 inches.

They're experts at taking prey in mid flight.

They can grab a bird at high speed using ratchet-like tendons

in their toes.

Once they grab on, they don't let go.

The more the prey moves...

the tighter they grip.

They grab onto their prey and they will squeeze,

some squeeze multiple times

and put multiple holes in their prey,

some will squeeze once and hold on for dear life,

and hopefully their prey will die just from the pressure

and from being bludgeoned to death.

For hawks, patience and position lead to a kill.

They'll sit on a telephone pole, sit in a tree,

they'll look over a field and when they see prey move

they will watch it and watch it until it breaks cover

and then they they will dive down using that height advantage

and speed and slow sort of glide

and then grab their prey right on the ground.

Hawks vary their food according to where they live

and what's in season.

For instance, red-tailed hawks in North America

eat a lot of mice and snakes in the summertime

when they're available.

We have Swainson's hawks of the Canadian prairies

and bad lands that eat a lot of grasshoppers

in the summer months.

We have goshawks in the forests of the northern hemisphere,

North America, Asia, in Europe.

They eat a lot of grouse;

they eat a lot of crows and rooks,

also very dependent on where they are but a lot of cottontail

rabbits and a lot of jackrabbits.

Hawks it seems are happy to go with the flow

when it comes to eating

and accept whatever's on the menu.

With binocular vision, vice grip-like feet,

and the ability to hunt in packs,

these feathered assassins have become masters of air and land.

Seeing the world from above gives birds of prey

a huge advantage.

With impeccable eyesight, sharp beaks and powerful talons,

these predators are precise, efficient and deadly.

(♪♪♪)

(♪♪♪)