bird of prey

IPA/ˌbɜːd əv ˈpreɪ/
IPA/ˌbɜːrd əv ˈpreɪ/

bird of prey — noun

1. A hunting bird that feeds on other creatures. Examples include eagles, hawks, ow

1.名詞B1
釋義

A hunting bird that feeds on other creatures. Examples include eagles, hawks, owls, and vultures. These birds use their strong talons and beaks to catch food.

例句

Yuna spotted a bird of prey circling high above the valley during her morning hike.

subject + spotted + bird of prey + present participle (circling)

The zookeeper told Defne that owls are birds of prey which hunt at night.

birds of prey + relative clause (which hunt...)

同義詞
  • raptor

    A more formal or scientific term for the same group of birds. Common in biology and nature writing.

  • hunting bird

    A simpler, less precise term that describes the bird's behaviour. 'Bird of prey' is the standard expression.

反義詞
  • prey

    The animal that is hunted and eaten, not the hunter. A bird of prey chases its prey.

文法句型

a bird of prey

birds of prey

用法筆記

The plural form 'birds of prey' is more common than the singular. This term is used for any hunting bird, whether it hunts live animals (like eagles and hawks) or eats already-dead animals (like vultures).

常見錯誤

❌An eagle is a bird of prey that eats fish.
✅An eagle is a bird of prey that catches and eats fish.
💡Using 'catches' instead of 'eats' makes the hunting behaviour clearer.
❌I saw a prey bird sitting on the fence.
✅I saw a bird of prey sitting on the fence.
💡The correct compound noun is 'bird of prey', not 'prey bird'.