A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts for food primarily using its talons. They display a characteristic curved tip to their beak and have superb vision.
Diurnal birds of prey belong to the orders Accipitriformes and Falconiformes in several groups including:
Nocturnal birds of prey—the owls—are separate from the diurnal families, and are in the order Strigiformes. The term "raptor" includes owls.
Although other bird groups may fill similar ecological roles and sometimes appear closely related at first sight, this is largely because of convergent evolution.