Birds of prey have always been fascinating as both beautiful yet deadly birds. This handbook covers 46 species of raptor recorded as breeding in Britain and Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The introduction covers the general characteristics, hunting methods, migration, breeding and biology of these birds whose numbers have been drastically reduced through persecution by poisoning, shooting and egg stealing. The main text contains detailed facts on each species including distribution, population estimates and trends, migration, habitat, voice, breeding and foraging methods. The final section is designed to aid the identification of birds of prey in flight, and has details of plumage, variants, juveniles and the likelihood of confusion with other species.