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They're the ultimate predators.

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The sharpest eyes of any hunter.

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Ears that can hear a heartbeat.

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Noses that work a mile away.

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Wherever there's prey,
there's a raptor to hunt it.

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But they're even more special
than we realize.

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Intelligent castaways.

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Long-distance travelers.

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Resourceful parents.

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And determined survivors.

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This series reveals
what makes birds of prey

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the most successful hunters
on the planet.

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The high Arctic.

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One of the toughest
places on Earth.

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But for this young snowy owl,
it's home.

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Winter is biting hard.

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Bringing extremes
of minus 60.

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The snowy is covered
in thick feathers.

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The cold isn't her problem.

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She can eat the human equivalent
of 40 pounds of food

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in one day.

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Searching for enough prey leads
her on a never-ending journey.

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She's a nomad.

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A drifter
in the frozen wastes.

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Her 5-foot wingspan
carries her thousands of miles.

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At times, she ventures
beyond the Arctic...

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...appearing in
unexpected places...

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...alongside other snowy owls.

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Like her, most are youngsters.

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Drawn to the open spaces
that remind them of home.

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These special visits
can be years apart...

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...though not everyone
is happy to see them.

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They're here
because there's food.

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As long as she can hunt here,
it's where she'll stay.

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Right now,
there are rodents everywhere.

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So many, she can afford to miss.

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But this bounty
will soon dry up.

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When it does,
the snowys will vanish.

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She may never
be seen here again.

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Spending her entire life
on the move.

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Snowy owls are among
the most nomadic of all birds.

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Their Arctic home
is so unpredictable,

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it's the only way to survive.

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And while they conquer
the most extreme of places,

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others specialize
in extreme prey.

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The mountains of Taiwan.

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Home to a raptor
with a deadly diet.

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Asian giant hornets
are the biggest on Earth.

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Able to kill humans.

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But their nests
are full of larvae.

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Irresistible to
oriental honey buzzards.

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The hornets swarm in defense.

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But now, with the nest open,
more honey buzzards move in.

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Each making off with all
the larvae they can grab.

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A raptor
with a death wish, maybe.

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But there's more to the honey
buzzard than meets the eye.

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They're built
to battle killer prey.

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And not just hornets,

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but bees, too.

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While they feast on honeycomb,

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uniquely shaped feathers
work like body armor...

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...so the bees
can't land a sting.

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A special membrane
protects their eyes.

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And there's even evidence
of chemical warfare.

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A strange substance
covers their feathers...

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...which may act as a deterrent

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during their death-defying
raids.

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Taking on killer prey
needs some serious hardware.

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Raptors are fine-tuned
to hunt almost anything.

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There are over
500 different species,

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living in nearly every
habitat...

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...each with a taste
for flesh...

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...a hooked beak,
and razor-sharp talons.

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But their global success
lies in their differences.

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Facial disks that channel sound.

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Huge eyes that spot
the slightest movement.

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Pure speed.

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Unrivalled agility.

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And raw power.

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Raptors rule the skies.

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But one takes physical
adaptations to the extreme.

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It's so specialized,

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it hardly looks like
a bird of prey at all.

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The height
of a 7-year-old child,

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secretary birds
are raptors on stilts.

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His long legs carry him up
to 20 miles a day.

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Holding him
at the perfect height

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to scan
the African savannah for prey.

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Which he stamps to death.

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Mostly insects,
but he'll take whatever's going.

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The secret is to stay still.

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He hunts on movement.

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And can land a kick 10 times
faster than we can blink.

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The secretary bird's long legs

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are perfect for hunting
on the open savannah.

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And they influence
every part of their lives.

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Theirs is a unique courtship.

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But when it comes
to raising young,

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being so tall causes
a few problems.

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A chick, some 9 weeks old...

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...nearly fully grown.

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The only nest she fits is right
on top of an acacia tree.

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Her big appetite
means Mom and Dad

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spend most of their time
out hunting.

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This should keep her busy
for a while.

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But there's no time
for parents to hang around.

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And she's alone again.

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With the day
just beginning to heat up.

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On top of the tree,

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she's completely
exposed to the African sun.

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Daytime temperatures
can top 90 degrees.

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And while most bird nestlings
get enough water

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from their food,
she risks dehydrating.

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It turns out, secretary birds
are one of very few

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who bring water back
to the nest.

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It's extra work,
but a small trade-off

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for being perfectly suited
to hunt on the open savannah.

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Success can depend on more
than killer hardware alone.

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Especially in the most hostile
of all settings.

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The Falkland Islands of the
South Atlantic are so remote,

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it takes something really
special to survive here.

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It's summer, and thousands
of gentoo penguins

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are here to breed.

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Raised in the warmer months,
this young, striated caracara

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is learning
to make it on his own.

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Too small to hunt a penguin,
he's here to look for scraps.

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No one wants him around.

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But he can't resist temptation.

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It's just not his day.

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Or is it?

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A penguin carcass.

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It's already taken.

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Pairs of adult caracaras

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hold down territories
across the island.

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Lone youngsters
don't stand a chance.

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But there are other
young birds around.

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He sends out a call to arms.

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And a gang assembles.

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The adults respond...

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...though there's only
one way this ends.

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The adults work
to clear the area...

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...but are
heavily outnumbered.

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It's impossible to keep up.

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And the chaos attracts
even more youngsters.

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Seizing their chance,
they turn on the adults.

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...who have no choice
but to fall back.

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Most birds of prey work alone.

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00:21:10,786 --> 00:21:14,894
But cast away
on these remote islands,

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young caracaras stick together.

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Joining gangs for the first
years of their lives.

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Social species are among
the smartest of all animals.

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Castaway on such remote islands,
they need to be.

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When breeding season ends,
food gets hard to find.

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Less than a quarter
of youngsters

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may get through
the coming months.

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Only the most resourceful
and inquisitive will survive.

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He needs to find food
wherever he can.

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No matter how risky.

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Hanging out among
3-ton elephant seals

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is an accident
waiting to happen.

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But he needs to eat.

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And there must be something.

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Surely not.

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But elephant seal
snot is on tap.

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For those brave enough.

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Raptors aren't well known
for their intelligence.

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But social and resourceful
striated caracara

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are the very
smartest birds of prey.

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And they're not the only ones
who rely on brain power.

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Others use it
to conquer extreme niches.

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Like the dead of night.

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60 million years ago,

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an abundance
of nocturnal mammals

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led some raptors
into the shadows.

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The tawny owl is
the ultimate nocturnal hunter.

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Feathers so silent,
he could fly right by,

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and you wouldn't hear a thing.

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Sensitive eyes and ears.

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Razor-sharp talons
to finish the job.

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That's the basic setup.

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What's really special
is his little-known superpower.

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He can fly around
in total darkness.

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He can't always see
where he's going.

186
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But he remembers his way
to his favorite perches...

187
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...where he can listen for prey.

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He has incredible
spatial memory,

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helping him hunt
on moonless nights

190
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and in the darkest corners
of the woods.

191
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The only price for this power

192
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is he must hold down
a strict territory...

193
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...where others take
a more flexible approach.

194
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The gymnogene thrives in just
about any African habitat.

195
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Mixing up what and how he hunts.

196
00:28:29,742 --> 00:28:33,194
Gymnogene means "bald chin."

197
00:28:36,507 --> 00:28:39,545
But don't be fooled
by his looks.

198
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If you're a starling,

199
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he's straight out
of your worst nightmare.

200
00:28:54,008 --> 00:29:00,946
A hunter from whom you can run,
but you cannot hide.

201
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He can climb vertically.

202
00:29:17,617 --> 00:29:20,413
Stiff tail feathers for grip.

203
00:29:22,691 --> 00:29:25,315
Broad wings for balance.

204
00:29:31,390 --> 00:29:33,599
The featherless face?

205
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All the better to see you with.

206
00:29:43,954 --> 00:29:47,647
And those long legs?

207
00:29:47,647 --> 00:29:50,271
All the better
to reach you with.

208
00:29:53,895 --> 00:29:56,553
His legs are double-jointed.

209
00:30:00,868 --> 00:30:05,217
Bending backwards and forwards
for extra stretch.

210
00:30:10,912 --> 00:30:16,987
Luckily for the starlings,
the chick was just out of reach.

211
00:30:20,025 --> 00:30:23,614
But he's got plenty
of other options.

212
00:30:32,727 --> 00:30:35,661
Weaver bird nests
are custom-made

213
00:30:35,661 --> 00:30:37,663
to keep predators out.

214
00:30:49,088 --> 00:30:54,542
But where there's prey,
the gymnogene will find it.

215
00:31:00,824 --> 00:31:05,001
He searches
the colony nest by nest.

216
00:31:24,710 --> 00:31:28,990
Unique skills and a broad diet

217
00:31:28,990 --> 00:31:32,752
see him make
the most of any opportunity.

218
00:31:44,626 --> 00:31:47,112
For those who can catch them,

219
00:31:47,112 --> 00:31:50,322
there's no better opportunity
than the seasonal appearance

220
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of twenty million Mexican
free-tailed bats.

221
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Spending summer
at Bracken Cave, Texas,

222
00:32:02,403 --> 00:32:06,994
it's the greatest gathering
of mammals anywhere on Earth.

223
00:32:19,006 --> 00:32:23,907
And here to join them
are peregrine falcons...

224
00:32:25,046 --> 00:32:26,737
...red-tailed hawks...

225
00:32:27,911 --> 00:32:29,948
...and Swainson's hawks.

226
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:36,230
Some local,
others just passing through.

227
00:32:38,715 --> 00:32:41,718
All waiting
for the right moment.

228
00:32:48,449 --> 00:32:53,040
At sundown the bats
prepare to leave for the night.

229
00:32:59,978 --> 00:33:03,602
Diving through
the crowd risks injury,

230
00:33:03,602 --> 00:33:07,399
and inexperienced raptors
move early.

231
00:33:11,196 --> 00:33:15,545
Moments later,
the bats begin to stream out.

232
00:33:27,764 --> 00:33:31,802
In open sky,
they're an easier target.

233
00:33:35,116 --> 00:33:38,602
They fly at over
60 miles an hour.

234
00:33:43,435 --> 00:33:49,234
Getting up to speed, the hunters
aim for any stragglers.

235
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Swallowing them on the wing.

236
00:34:02,488 --> 00:34:07,286
The bats keep coming,
and a feast begins.

237
00:34:23,199 --> 00:34:27,099
It takes hours for them
all to leave the cave.

238
00:34:33,485 --> 00:34:38,662
The less experienced birds
have time to hone their skills.

239
00:34:46,601 --> 00:34:50,571
While the real
top guns show off...

240
00:34:54,540 --> 00:34:58,475
...taking one bat in each foot.

241
00:35:03,825 --> 00:35:07,312
The feast lasts
four months through summer...

242
00:35:11,074 --> 00:35:14,319
...before the bats return south.

243
00:35:21,602 --> 00:35:25,123
Some hunters stay
the whole season.

244
00:35:29,989 --> 00:35:34,546
Others move on,
seeking new opportunities.

245
00:35:44,176 --> 00:35:47,145
Opportunities that can
see them form

246
00:35:47,145 --> 00:35:49,940
extraordinary relationships.

247
00:35:59,191 --> 00:36:04,265
Standing 3 feet tall,
weighing 20 pounds,

248
00:36:04,265 --> 00:36:09,753
Steller's sea eagles are one of
the world's biggest raptors.

249
00:36:13,481 --> 00:36:19,004
In winter, they visit the remote
coast of far northern Japan...

250
00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:31,465
...where they're joined
by white-tailed eagles,

251
00:36:31,465 --> 00:36:33,984
with an 8-foot wingspan.

252
00:36:36,746 --> 00:36:43,546
They're all here for one thing.

253
00:36:51,657 --> 00:36:57,249
In this small community,
pollock fishing is big business.

254
00:37:00,010 --> 00:37:04,291
For decades, the bycatch
from all these boats has offered

255
00:37:04,291 --> 00:37:08,260
easy pickings through
the toughest months of the year.

256
00:37:16,648 --> 00:37:21,687
Known locally
as the great eagles,

257
00:37:21,687 --> 00:37:23,689
they're a welcome sight.

258
00:37:40,465 --> 00:37:46,609
And on bleak winter days,
they put on a spectacular show.

259
00:37:54,168 --> 00:37:57,102
Coming all the way
into the harbor.

260
00:38:14,326 --> 00:38:17,398
Attracting another
type of visitor.

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00:38:19,849 --> 00:38:21,471
Tourists.

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00:38:28,651 --> 00:38:32,655
People flock
from all over the world,

263
00:38:32,655 --> 00:38:36,244
drawn by an awe
of giant raptors.

264
00:38:50,397 --> 00:38:53,917
Needing boats
to reach the sea ice,

265
00:38:53,917 --> 00:38:57,749
the tourist trade now rivals
the fishing industry.

266
00:39:14,075 --> 00:39:18,148
For people,
it's a once-in-a-lifetime shot

267
00:39:18,148 --> 00:39:21,048
to see a bird
that spends most of its life

268
00:39:21,048 --> 00:39:24,085
in remote far eastern Russia.

269
00:39:30,298 --> 00:39:34,786
The eagles are simply here
for an easy meal.

270
00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:45,486
But in an increasingly
human world,

271
00:39:45,486 --> 00:39:50,284
what does the future hold
for our planet's raptors?

272
00:39:55,876 --> 00:40:03,366
Habitat loss, persecution,
and a changing climate

273
00:40:03,366 --> 00:40:08,129
means 1/3 of birds of prey
are under threat.

274
00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:18,968
But given the space, raptors can
overcome extreme challenges.

275
00:40:24,007 --> 00:40:26,700
And there are stories of hope.

276
00:40:30,980 --> 00:40:34,328
The wetlands of Central Florida.

277
00:40:38,470 --> 00:40:41,231
A patchwork of waterways.

278
00:40:43,993 --> 00:40:48,515
Home to a rare
and very special bird of prey.

279
00:40:55,176 --> 00:40:57,558
The Florida snail kite.

280
00:41:02,183 --> 00:41:05,808
So called for its unusual diet.

281
00:41:16,335 --> 00:41:20,408
One made up mostly
of aquatic snails.

282
00:41:30,729 --> 00:41:36,459
Snails are able to seal
themselves inside their shells.

283
00:41:38,841 --> 00:41:43,259
It takes a long, hooked beak
to pry them open.

284
00:41:49,437 --> 00:41:53,545
A unique beak
with quite the tale to tell.

285
00:41:58,964 --> 00:42:01,070
In the early 2000s,

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00:42:01,070 --> 00:42:05,488
an invasive snail species
took over these wetlands.

287
00:42:07,490 --> 00:42:13,358
The new snails were five times
bigger than their usual prey.

288
00:42:13,358 --> 00:42:16,568
Most snail kites
couldn't eat them.

289
00:42:19,606 --> 00:42:22,263
Many birds vanished,

290
00:42:22,263 --> 00:42:26,405
along with any hope
for their survival in Florida.

291
00:42:33,930 --> 00:42:39,764
But 10 years later,
the snail kites were back.

292
00:42:47,254 --> 00:42:52,639
Their population tripling
to over 2,000 birds.

293
00:42:58,023 --> 00:43:02,165
And they were catching
and eating the bigger snails.

294
00:43:05,859 --> 00:43:09,138
But with some major changes.

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00:43:15,938 --> 00:43:20,770
Their beaks and bodies
had grown up to 12% bigger

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00:43:20,770 --> 00:43:23,290
in little more
than a decade.

297
00:43:31,919 --> 00:43:34,922
It turns out
a few big-beaked birds

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00:43:34,922 --> 00:43:38,305
could handle
the new supersized prey.

299
00:43:45,139 --> 00:43:51,145
And birds with bigger beaks pass
those genes on to their young.

300
00:43:58,325 --> 00:44:04,089
Happening in less than
two snail kite generations,

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00:44:04,089 --> 00:44:08,162
the speed of change
is almost unbelievable.

302
00:44:21,624 --> 00:44:26,387
Florida's snail kites are
evolving right in front of us.

303
00:44:35,707 --> 00:44:37,709
Given the chance,

304
00:44:37,709 --> 00:44:42,852
even top predators
can adapt to extreme changes.

305
00:44:51,654 --> 00:44:56,935
This tiny chick will one day
be a fearsome predator.

306
00:45:05,944 --> 00:45:08,809
The talons on which
she'll depend

307
00:45:08,809 --> 00:45:12,364
are already her most
distinctive feature.

308
00:45:17,887 --> 00:45:23,513
But what really stands out
is where she lives.

309
00:45:26,827 --> 00:45:29,865
The city of Durban,
South Africa.

310
00:45:34,662 --> 00:45:41,600
Surprising, because she's
an African crowned eagle,

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00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:45,639
the most powerful bird
of prey on the planet.

312
00:45:54,027 --> 00:45:59,998
While in the nest,
Mom shows her tender side.

313
00:45:59,998 --> 00:46:03,553
She is armed with talons
that can crush bone.

314
00:46:06,039 --> 00:46:10,181
She takes prey weighing up
to 60 pounds.

315
00:46:21,571 --> 00:46:23,988
Imagine a raptor whose ancestors

316
00:46:23,988 --> 00:46:28,475
hunted our own
nesting in your backyard.

317
00:46:34,895 --> 00:46:39,244
Most people embrace the change.

318
00:46:39,244 --> 00:46:41,902
And while declining elsewhere,

319
00:46:41,902 --> 00:46:45,112
Durban's crowned eagles
are thriving.

320
00:46:49,668 --> 00:46:53,500
This nest on a sewer pipeline

321
00:46:53,500 --> 00:46:57,676
is the first ever known
on an artificial structure.

322
00:47:06,409 --> 00:47:09,171
And there's now
a higher density of them

323
00:47:09,171 --> 00:47:11,898
here than anywhere in Africa.

324
00:47:16,764 --> 00:47:22,874
In the wild, most nests
are at least 3 miles apart.

325
00:47:22,874 --> 00:47:28,431
In Durban, the nearest neighbors
are just half a mile away.

326
00:47:33,402 --> 00:47:35,887
This is why.

327
00:47:39,477 --> 00:47:42,238
The city is full of prey.

328
00:47:48,900 --> 00:47:54,664
Vervet monkeys fall quiet in the
neighborhoods where eagles nest.

329
00:48:17,066 --> 00:48:22,520
Everyone's accounted for,
the alarm raised in time.

330
00:48:31,736 --> 00:48:35,671
But this rock hyrax
wasn't so lucky.

331
00:48:43,644 --> 00:48:47,338
A meal like this will keep
the 6-week-old chick

332
00:48:47,338 --> 00:48:49,271
busy for days.

333
00:48:54,276 --> 00:48:56,934
But she grows quickly...

334
00:49:00,972 --> 00:49:04,838
...looking more eagle-like
every day.

335
00:49:13,295 --> 00:49:17,678
By 12 weeks,
food drops are bigger.

336
00:49:24,789 --> 00:49:27,757
And she can handle them
by herself.

337
00:49:36,525 --> 00:49:41,875
From now on, Mom and Dad's
visits will be less frequent.

338
00:49:48,399 --> 00:49:52,541
It's confusing when parents
don't answer your calls.

339
00:49:56,441 --> 00:50:01,032
But tough love encourages her
to spread her wings.

340
00:50:06,555 --> 00:50:10,352
She'll still depend on them
for much of the next year.

341
00:50:16,565 --> 00:50:22,191
Hunting large, smart prey
will take a lot of practice.

342
00:50:28,128 --> 00:50:31,787
It's a tough time ahead.

343
00:50:31,787 --> 00:50:34,100
She'll need to carve
out her place,

344
00:50:34,100 --> 00:50:36,274
not just among her own kind

345
00:50:36,274 --> 00:50:39,312
but alongside
the people here, too.

346
00:50:49,874 --> 00:50:53,567
A hunter's life
is full of challenges.

347
00:50:56,570 --> 00:50:58,538
Intense competition.

348
00:51:01,713 --> 00:51:03,715
Other predators.

349
00:51:05,683 --> 00:51:09,514
And the uncertainties
of our changing world.

350
00:51:13,346 --> 00:51:17,039
But armed with
a fistful of daggers,

351
00:51:17,039 --> 00:51:19,628
raptors have risen to the top.

352
00:51:23,942 --> 00:51:27,360
Theirs are powers
we can only dream of.

353
00:51:33,814 --> 00:51:35,989
A mastery of flight.

354
00:51:37,749 --> 00:51:40,373
Specialized adaptations.

355
00:51:42,823 --> 00:51:45,723
And mind-blowing senses.

356
00:51:51,349 --> 00:51:58,322
They've conquered nearly every
habitat with inventive solutions

357
00:51:58,322 --> 00:52:01,014
and surprising intelligence.

358
00:52:04,776 --> 00:52:10,851
No matter how hostile
the place or deadly the prey.

359
00:52:15,477 --> 00:52:21,552
Raptors are truly the greatest
hunters on the planet.