BBC Life of Birds Disc 1: The Meat Eaters (2000)

Index
Naturalist Sir David Attenborough presents a ten part study of "the life of birds," beginning with their origins and evolution and covering their life histories and abilities to adapt to nearly every environment. As is usual with Mr. Attenborough's productions, camera work is ground-breaking, and every continent is visited.

From the meat-eating Kea Parrot of New Zealand, to African eagles that prey on monkeys and flamingos, see the strategies that some birds use to find and catch their prey including tracking by ultraviolet vision!
Peter's DVD rating: 4.0 stars
1:00 Lanner Falcon hunts sparrow (South Africa) 2:40 Kea digs into Shearwater burrow yo catch chick (New Zealand) 4:45 Great Grey Owl listens for lemming (Arctic)
6:25 Giant Scops-owl cannot rotate eye in socket, keen vision detects movement of spider 8:10 Common Buzzard hunts rabbits 10:20 Common Kestrel hovering , can use UV vision to see urine of voles
12:15 Lappet-faced Vulture 13:50 Griffon Vulture has no sense of smell (Africa) 16:15 Turkey Vulture has acute sense of smell with wide-open nostrils; naked head is red (rainforest in Trinidad)
19:50African Crowned Eagle hunts Vervet Monkey and brings carcass to Crowned Eagle chick (east African forest) 23:45 White-bellied Sea Eagles fight in air with talons (Malaysia) 25:00A million Lesser Flamingos filter algae; hunted by African Fish Eagle (Lake Bogoria, African Rift Valley)
29:55 Galapagos Hawk hunts Marine Iguana (Galapagos) 34:20 African Harrier-Hawk has long, double-jointed legs to snatch lizard from rock cracks 36:40The shrike Grey-backed Fiscal impales lizard on Acacia thorn
38:10 Lammergeier drops bone on rock to eat marrow 40:30 Eurasian Sparrowhawk flies through apple orchard (English Wood)   
Falco_biarmicus.jpg
1:00 Lanner Falcon
Nestor_notabilis.jpg
2:40 Kea
Strix_nebulosa.jpg
4:45 Great Grey Owl
Mimizuku_gurneyi.jpg
6:25 Giant Scops-owl
Buteo_buteo.jpg
8:10 Common Buzzard
Falco_tinnunculus.jpg
10:20 Common Kestrel hovering
Torgos_tracheliotos.jpg
12:15 Lappet-faced Vulture
Gyps_fulvus.jpg
13:50 Griffon Vulture
Cathartes_aura.jpg
16:15 Turkey Vulture
Stephanoaetus_coronatus.jpg
19:50 Crowned Eagle
Chlorocebus_pygerythrus.jpg
19:50 Vervet Monkey
Stephanoaetus_coronatus-chick.jpg
19:50 Crowned Eagle chick
Haliaeetus_leucogaster.jpg
23:45 White-bellied Sea Eagles
Phoenicopterus_minor.jpg
25:00 Lesser Flamingos
Haliaeetus_vocifer.jpg
25:00 African Fish Eagle
Buteo_galapagoensis.jpg
29:55 Galapagos Hawk
Amblyrhynchus_cristatus.jpg
29:55 Marine Iguana
Polyboroides_typus.jpg
34:20 African Harrier-Hawk
Lanius_excubitoroides.jpg
36:40 Grey-backed Fiscal
Gypaetus_barbatus.jpg
38:10 Lammergeier
Accipiter_nisus.jpg
40:30 Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Index Jan 17, 2010 copyleft Peter Chen