The role of Velociraptor’s infamous claw has received much attention from scientists ever since they clicked their way across a movie kitchen. In comparison, the formidable claws of living raptors (birds of prey) have received little attention. Eagles, hawks, falcons and owls are some of the most widespread and well-liked of all birds. They are superb hunters and even though it’s always been suspected that they use their talons to kill, we know amazingly little about their techniques.
Denver Fowler (great name for an ornithologist) and colleagues from Montana State University have changed all of that, through the first comprehensive study of raptor feet. Their work reveals that these apparently familiar birds use a striking variety of killing strategies including some rather grisly ones. Some raptors use their talons to attack with high-speed killing blows, and others suffocate their prey to death in constricting fists. Some give their victims a ...
