Among the most misunderstood of all animals in the zoo, birds of prey are an important link in the food chain. Three species of vultures as well as marabou storks and secretary birds inhabit the largest outdoor area of the Regenstein Birds of Prey Exhibit. In the wild these animals are also found together and share similar hunting and feeding habits.

King of the Vultures Vultures are nature's clean-up crew, feeding on carcasses other animals have left behind. Native to arid regions of southern Europe to southern China, the cinereous vulture casts an impressive shadow, soaring with a wingspan of up to nine and a half feet. The largest vultures, these birds are threatened in the wild, victims of hunting and trapping as well as habitat destruction. Long Necks The longest neck in the Birds of Prey Exhibit belongs to the Ruppell's griffon vulture, enabling these central African birds to reach deep into a carcass for meat. Like all vultures, these birds' long toes provide a stable base as they are feeding. Hooded vultures are the smallest vultures and are typically the last ones to feed on a carcass. They are native to Africa, south of the Sahara. Eagles and Owls Great gray owls and bald eagles roost around the corner in this soaring outdoor habitat. Bald eagles, once on the brink of extinction, are again flying high in great numbers in the wild, thanks to the efforts of many conservationists and protection from the Endangered Species Act. These majestic birds can have a wingspan of seven feet or more. Pairs often mate for life and return year after year to the same nest. Great gray owls, native to pine forests of North America and northern Asia, stick to a relatively small territory and often nest in abandoned hawk and eagle nests. During bad winters in the far north, these and other northern owls stage massive migrations known as "invasions," and may be seen well outside their normal range.