80 Flying Tigers

Hawks and falcons are the wolves and tigers of the bird kingdom. They are meat-eaters that rely on strength and skill to catch their unwary victims. These birds have unusually good eyesight, great skill in flight, and sharp beaks and talons that quickly end the struggles of their prey.

The hawks—a family that includes the bald eagle—tend to be large birds that hunt by soaring and gliding high in the air until they spot their prey on the ground. Then they drop down in a fast and accurate swoop, giving no warning until their wings flash open to break their fall, and their sharp talons close on their victims.

Falcons are usually smaller than hawks. They have long, narrow wings designed for very fast flight. This family includes the peregrine falcon, called the bird of kings, which has been trained to hunt for the royalty of Europe and Africa for centuries. The peregrine, in its swoop upon its prey, has been clocked at speeds of over 100 miles per hour.

Until recently, hawks and falcons had suffered from people's war on insects. Small animals ate the insects that had been sprayed with chemicals; then these were eaten by larger animals that were in turn eaten by the birds of prey. After the hawks had eaten a number of these animals, the chemicals had a deadly effect. The birds began to lay eggs with very thin shells that broke when the birds tried to hatch them. But now, due to careful efforts to restore the hawk and falcon population, these birds are beginning to make a comeback.

80 飞鹰（猛禽）

鹰和隼是鸟类王国中的狼与虎，它们是肉食动物，依靠力量和技巧捕捉毫无防备的猎物。这些鸟类拥有异常敏锐的视力、高超的飞行技巧，还有能迅速终结猎物挣扎的锋利喙爪。

鹰类（包括白头鹰在内的家族）通常是大型鸟类，它们的捕猎方式是在高空翱翔、滑翔，直到发现地面上的猎物。然后它们会快速而精准地俯冲下去，在翅膀展开减速、锋利的爪子抓住猎物之前，不会发出任何预警。

隼通常比鹰小，它们有着狭长的翅膀，专为高速飞行而设计。隼类包括游隼——被称为“百鸟之王”，几个世纪以来一直被训练为欧洲和非洲的皇室狩猎。游隼俯冲捕猎时的速度已被测得超过每小时100英里。

直到最近，鹰和隼还因人类的灭虫行动而遭殃：小型动物吃了被喷洒过化学药剂的昆虫，然后这些小型动物被较大的动物捕食，而这些较大的动物又成为猛禽的猎物。鹰吃了一定数量的这些动物后，化学药剂产生了致命影响：它们产下的蛋蛋壳变得非常薄，在孵化时会破碎。但现在，由于人们努力恢复鹰和隼的种群数量，这些鸟类正开始回归。