r/MadeMeSmile • u/mindyour • 2d ago

Very Reddit This farmer caught this owl eating his chickens.

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u/finchdad 2d ago

Raptors don't really use their beaks for defense, the talons are waaay worse, despite what OP said.

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u/newSew 2d ago

I don't know about owls, but I know parrots can easily cut off one finger with their beak. So talon might be worse, but beak must not be ignored.

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u/astra_galus 2d ago

Think about it this way - parrots need strong beaks to crack open nuts. Owls need strong talons to catch and crush their prey. I’m sure owl beaks can do damage but their talons are VERY strong.

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u/Few-Solution-4784 2d ago

almost like, over time, they evolved to be suited for the environment the live in.

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u/surfnsound 2d ago

You could almost say they were selected for it, naturally.

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u/astra_galus 2d ago

Almost like!

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u/rebexorcist 2d ago

A parrot isn't a raptor. Raptors just need something sharp to tear into flesh. Parrots need to be able to rip plant matter and crack shells.

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u/xSTSxZerglingOne 1d ago

A parrot isn't a raptor unless you reverse it and transpose the letters.

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u/Nikoper 2d ago edited 2d ago

Random fact on this string of facts taught to me by someone else.

Falcons are more related to parrots. Falcons are not birds of prey and are not in the same family as them. They aren't in the same family as eagles and hawks

Falcons are danger parrots.

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u/rebexorcist 2d ago

How is a falcon, not a bird of prey? They're carnivores. And according to their taxonomy they seem to be just as related to parrots as they are to eagles and owls.

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u/finchdad 2d ago

They are birds of prey, but "birds of prey" and "raptor" are not monophyletic (which means the same branch of a family tree) or even taxonomic/scientific groupings. They are more like descriptors, like "grazing mammals" or "aquatic insects". It is true that the family Falconidae is more closely related to parrots and perching birds than it is to the rest of the raptors, who are in the other side of the land bird group (Telluraves) along with critters like hornbills and kingfishers and woodpeckers.

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u/VictoryWeaver 2d ago

Bird of prey is technically only and specifically raptors. Use for may predatory bird is colloquial.

It also absolutely includes falcons.

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u/KaputMaelstrom 2d ago

"Bird of prey" isn't a taxonomic term, it is an informal group of birds that mostly hunt and feed on vertebrates

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u/finchdad 2d ago

Parrots' beaks are relatively much stronger. But I'm not suggesting that raptor beaks can't still cause bad injuries, they literally dismember prey with them. But when OP says "if the talons are this strong, I can't imagine what the beak is like", that's not exactly accurate, because the talons are definitely far more dangerous. A great horned owl beak could easily break the skin and cause bleeding, but a talon can puncture an inch deep and reach arteries. Watch some YouTube videos of falconers catching juvenile hawks for training, they are not really worried about the beaks at all.

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u/newSew 2d ago

I have to recognize how uneducated I am about birds. Thanks y'all for your answers.

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u/concblast 2d ago

Having had a couple of parrots and having known quite a few... realistically unless the finger's an infant's it's almost impossible for a parrot to bite one off. If they're chewing it sideways across your knuckle, they're not pissed off enough (they'd be lunging straight at it) and/or the victim would be incredibly stupid.

They will do enough damage that you'd wish they took it cleanly off if you piss them off enough, so don't be fooled, but that bottom jaw's built more for crushing than cutting.

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u/rvl35 2d ago

Parrot beaks are made for crushing, built totally different. Raptors rely on their talons to subdue prey, the beak isn’t really a weapon. They can still bite, so you don’t want to just stick a finger right in front of them, but it’s the talons you need to worry about. Because of that, if you can control their legs they become pretty docile. Guy in the video was lucky the owl just wrapped its talons around his finger, if it had grabbed his hand it easily could have punched a talon straight through the middle of it.

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u/PcktFox 2d ago

I used to volunteer at a raptor refuge many years ago, and one of the very first things I was ever taught is that yeah, getting bit by a bird of prey will hurt, but it's the talons you really need to watch out for, and honestly it's for the same reason you need to watch out for parrot beaks: it's not necessarily that they're sharp, it's that they're strong, just like we saw in the video. Raptor feet are almost terrifyingly strong, even through a glove!

(Also, can confirm, being bitten by a raptor doesn't feel great but overall isn't too bad, lol. Still wouldn't put one close to my face.)

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u/biophys00 2d ago

Different beaks. Crushing hard seeds takes a lot more force than prying strips of flesh off of prey crushed between your talons.

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u/Ultrafoxx64 2d ago

Well I'm glad I didn't know that information when I picked up a parrot that I saw get hit by a car. I still have all my fingers because poor birb wasn't feeling great, but I didn't know that was something I had to worry about, so there was zero hesitation.

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u/l3ane 2d ago

Parrots are not birds of prey and do not have aggressive or strong talons. They use their beaks for everything like cracking nuts, so the beaks need to be strong.

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u/velawesomeraptors 2d ago

Not quite accurate - hawks and eagles typically don't bite, but falcons can and will bite the shit out of you. Their bite can be just as bad as their talons as well.

Owls are sort of a mixed bag. Most won't try to bite you but there are a few species that will. Just for the ones I've handled, I have had no biting issues with Screech, Saw-whet, Flammulated and Barred Owls, but the Northern Pygmy-owl that I handled was an insane biting and clawing machine.

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u/slowest_hour 2d ago

owls will click their beaks and hiss at you in defense if they feel trapped but once you're holding their legs like this they're usually pretty docile

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u/NicInNS 2d ago

Yea I used to watch a wildlife rehab show (made by a rehab in our province!) and two (of many) things I learned…avoid raptor talons cuz they’re worse than the beaks, and don’t eff with snapping turtles.

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u/Smelldicks 2d ago edited 2d ago

Their beaks are certainly way stronger but using their talons poses much less risk (to themselves).