Sporting an impressive four-foot wingspan, this large and powerful bird of prey has been used in falconry for thousands of years, and is likely the basis for the Turul, a mythological bird that is a national symbol of Hungary. These birds are found in open grasslands in Eastern Europe and Asia, and in winter in parts of Africa, feeding on pigeons, squirrels, and other small animals.
Hint: This bird’s name is derived from an Arabic word meaning “falcon.”
Identifying birds is at the very heart of bird watching. Each bird encountered is like a little puzzle or mystery to solve, because, while birds of a single species all share a certain set of physical traits, no two individual birds, like no two individual humans, are exactly alike.