Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey, written by Fran Mason. Focus question, what are Birds of Prey and what are some of their features?

《猛禽》，作者：弗兰·梅森。 思考问题：什么是猛禽，它们都有哪些特征呢？

Introduction. From far away, a large bird spots a mouse. In a powerful burst of speed, it dashes down and grabs the rodent with its sharp claws. Then the bird lands and uses its beak to tear apart its food. Birds of prey, also called raptors, are impressive predators. They have three important features that allow them to hunt and eat their prey. Their strong feet have talons that they use to grab prey. Their sharp, curved beaks can easily tear apart food. Birds of prey also have excellent eyesight that helps them spot prey from far away.

引言 远方，一只大鸟盯上了一只老鼠。 它猛地加速俯冲而下，用锋利的爪子抓住了这只啮齿小动物。 接着它落在地上，用喙撕开自己的食物。 猛禽也叫掠食猛禽，是十分出色的捕食者。 它们拥有三项帮助它们捕猎进食的重要特征。 它们强健的脚长有利爪，用来抓捕猎物。 锋利弯曲的喙可以轻易撕开食物。 猛禽还拥有极佳的视力，能从很远的地方发现猎物。

Birds of prey live all over the world. They can survive in many different habitats, from prairies to deserts. A few kinds of birds of prey even live in cities. Scientists separate birds of prey into two groups. One group is nocturnal, active at night. The other group is diurnal, active during the day.

猛禽在世界各地都有分布。 它们能在多种多样的栖息地生存，从草原到沙漠都能存活。 少数几种猛禽甚至生活在城市里。 科学家把猛禽分成了两大类。 一类是夜行性猛禽，在夜晚活动。 另一类是昼行性猛禽，在白天活动。

Owls are nocturnal birds of prey. They hunt at night and sleep during the day. Owls have short tails, rounded wings, and sharp talons. Their large heads have flat faces, big eyes, and curved beaks. Owls don't have eyeballs. Their eyes are more like tubes held in place by bones. This means they can't really move their eyes. To follow prey, they have to

猫头鹰是夜行性猛禽。 它们夜晚捕猎，白天睡觉。 猫头鹰长着短尾巴、圆圆的翅膀和锋利的爪子。 它们脑袋很大，脸部扁平、眼睛大，还有弯曲的喙。 猫头鹰并没有球状的眼球。 它们的眼睛更像是骨头固定住的管子。 这意味着它们没法转动自己的眼睛。 想要追踪猎物，它们必须

Owls hunt by watching and waiting for the right moment to pounce on their prey. When it's totally dark, owls rely on their sensitive hearing instead of their sense of sight. Unlike other birds, owls have special feathers. As they fly, their feathers don't make any sound. Their silent flight allows them to sneak up on their prey as well as hear its movements. When they are ready, owls quickly drop down and use their talons to catch their prey by surprise. Then they crush their prey with their beaks.

猫头鹰捕猎时会静静观察，等待合适的时机扑向猎物。 完全天黑后，猫头鹰会依靠敏锐的听觉，而非视觉捕猎。 和其他鸟类不同，猫头鹰长着特殊的羽毛。 它们飞行时，羽毛不会发出任何声响。 无声的飞行既能让它们悄悄靠近猎物，也能听清猎物的动静。 准备就绪后，猫头鹰会快速俯冲，用爪子出其不意抓住猎物。 接着它们会用喙咬碎猎物。

Falcons. Except for owls, all birds of prey are diurnal. They are active during the day. Falcons are one example. These medium -sized birds of prey have long, pointed wings. Unlike owls, which hunt by silently surprising their prey, falcons hunt using speed. Their amazing eyesight allows them to spot prey from far away. Their pointed wings help them fly fast and turn quickly as they chase their prey. Falcons attack by diving or stooping heading, head first after their prey. Then they strike it hard, snatch it with their talons, and kill it with their sharp beaks.

隼 除了猫头鹰，所有猛禽都是昼行性的。 它们在白天活动。 隼就是其中一个例子。 这类中型猛禽长着修长的尖翅膀。 和猫头鹰靠无声突袭捕猎不同，隼依靠速度捕猎。 它们极佳的视力能帮它们从很远的地方发现猎物。 尖翅膀帮它们在追逐猎物时快速飞行、灵活转向。 隼发起攻击时会俯冲，头朝前冲向猎物。 之后它们会用力撞击猎物，用爪子抓住它，再用锋利的喙杀死它。