Raptorsareformallyclassifiedintofivefamiliesandincludebirds--suchaseagles,ospreys,kites,truehawks,buzzards,harriers,vultures,andfalcons--thatarefamiliarandrecognizedbymanyobservers.ThesediurnalbirdsofpreyarefoundoneverycontinentexceptAntarcticaandcanthriveinseeminglyinhospitablespotssuchasdesertsandthetundra.Theyhavepowerfultalonsandhookedbeaksforcuttingandtearingmeat,andkeenbinocularvisiontoaidintheirhuntingprowess.Becauseoftheirlargesize,distinctivefeedinghabits,andlong-distanceflightpatterns,raptorsintriguehumansandhavebeenthesubjectofmuchgeneralinterestaswellasextensivescientificresearch.KeithL.Bildsteinhaswatchedandstudiedraptorsonfivecontinentsandiswellpreparedtoexplaintheircriticalimportance,notonlyasecologicalentitiesbutalsoasinspirationaltokensacrossnaturalandhuman-dominatedlandscapes.Hisbookoffersacomprehensiveandaccessibleaccountofraptors,includingtheirevolutionaryhistory,theirrelationshipstoothergroupsofbirds,theirsensoryabilities,theirgeneralnaturalhistory,theirbreedingecologyandfeedingbehavior,andthreatstotheirsurvivalinahuman-dominatedworld.Biologicallysoundbutreadable,Raptorsisanontechnicaloverviewofthiscaptivatinggroup.Itwillallownaturalists,birders,hawk-watchers,scienceeducators,schoolchildren,andthegeneralpublic,alongwithnewstudentsinthefieldofraptorbiology,tounderstandandappreciatethesebirds,andinsodoingbetterprotectthem.
