Raptors stamp catalogue

4,026 items

New taxonomic insights have resulted in the birds of prey being split into two unrelated groups: the falcons and casarcas and the group that includes hawks, eagles and vultures. Owls are also sometimes considered birds of prey. More

Birds of prey was the name for the order Falconiformes. New taxonomic insights have split the group into two unrelated groups: the Falconiformes in the narrow sense, which includes the falcons and casarcas, and the Accipitriformes, which includes the hawks, eagles and vultures. Owls (Strigiformes) are also sometimes considered to be birds of prey. Birds of prey therefore belong to different groups of birds. Characteristic are a hooked bill and claws. What they have in common is that they kill or eat other animals. That food can vary from insects (honey buzzard), fish (osprey), reptiles (short-toed eagle), birds (wood falcon) to mammals (owls). These are often rodents, but can also be other species, such as monkeys. The palm vulture has a more vegetarian diet. Birds of prey are often at the top of a food pyramid. Therefore, they are vulnerable to pollutants in the environment. Birds of prey have always captured the imagination of people, such as the eagles for the ancient Romans, possibly a mixture of fear and admiration. From that time on we find the eagle in many weapons, such as Austria, Albania and Germany. The bald eagle is more or less a national symbol in the United States. It is therefore not surprising that the eagle is often depicted on (older) stamps. Later on, other types are also depicted on stamps.

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Number of stamps

4,026

Number of related items

Oldest item

Duchy of Modena - Eagle with crown (1852)