Many are fascinated with birds of prey. The majestic Bald Eagle is the symbol of our nation and the Golden Eagle calls the mountains and cliffs throughout the northern hemisphere of the earth home. In America, we have the tiny American Kestrel that is often called a “Sparrow Hawk†and dozens of larger species that live in all kinds of habitat. Around the world, there are many other hawks, falcons and eagles. The huge Steller’s Fish Eagle or also called Steller’s Sea Eagle lives in eastern Asia by the coast and large lakes. It is rare with only a few thousand remaining. In South and Central America, lives an even more rare giant bird of prey called the Harpy Eagle or the “Monkey-eating Eagleâ€. It gets this name because it often takes monkeys as its prey. The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on earth, reaching speeds of 200 miles an hour in a dive for its prey. Once there was a giant eagle in Hawaii but it went extinct several hundred years ago. Its skull and a few bones have been found in some of the volcanic caves on the island. The largest eagle to live in modern times once hunted the giant moa in Madagascar, but it was killed out a few hundred years ago. Owls are called “birds of prey†and they do hunt much the same as hawks, falcons and eagles, although mostly at night. Owls however are more closely related to nightjars or goatsuckers than they are to hawks. The whippoorwill and nighthawk are in the nightjar family. Vultures are also often called “birds of prey†but are more closely related to storks. Vultures usually do not kill their prey but eat it only after it is dead Most of this book is included in the author’s e-book “Outdoor Adventures with Kenny.†The author has also written an e-book titled “Birds and Animals of Southern Indiana†for those that wish to learn many common species that live in the Midwest. This little book contains about 3,000 words and has several close-up photos of several species of birds of prey. Most were photographed at the Ferdinand Folk Festival where the falconers often bring their birds during the month of September. Ken met Master Falconer, Joe Katterhenry, many years ago while he was working for an Evansville television station doing wildlife news segments. Joe and some of his friends also brought their hawks and falcons to the Forest Park High School where Ken held monthly meetings of the Golden Sparrow Nature Society, a club that he founded in 2009.