Estimated Read Time: 7 minutes
The Greatest Raptor
There are many raptors, but which stands – flies? – above the rest?
Sorry, I refuse to accept Vince Carter as the answer.
I’ll definitely hear you out on Kyle Lowry. He’s been a trooper.
Kawhi Leonard? No matter how it ended, he got it done. That’s a strong case
And they all are (Are? Were?) top predators – well, not Vince Carter, but the other two – in their ecosystem.
But what about the greatest raptors in Mount Robson’s ecosystem?
(And no, velociraptors don’t get consideration in this discussion: they aren’t actual raptors, they have super creepy arms, and, most importantly, they’re extinct – you don’t get consideration if you’re extinct!)
We’re, of course, talking about raptors – the flying, cunning killers of the sky, found in all habitat types chasing a diverse range of prey. These winged predators differentiate themselves from other birds of prey because of three ridiculous skills: an eye like no other for spotting their prey at extreme distances and nailing the three-pointer every time; absurdly sharp talons that means they’re never losing their prey in the paint; and a bill that is more than mint – it’s hooked, ready to tear apart their food with ease.
Bald and golden eagles are the LeBron James of this conversation. Otherworldly superstars who are big, impactful and can knock mountain goats off of a cliff when they feel peckish.
Sure, they’re technically raptors (eagles, not LeBron, keep dreaming Raptors fans), but in many ways they’re a category unto themselves (because as much as you might love (hate?) Kawhi, he ain’t no LeBron James).
So, let’s remove eagles and look at our other contenders. What are the choices then?
You’ve got the hawks (and not the Atlanta variety): Sharp-shinned. Northern Goshawk. Rough-legged. Red-tailed.
And you’ve got your falcons (also not of the Atlanta variety…seriously, why are so many teams from Atlanta named after raptors…even their one-time hockey team, the Thrashers, was raptor-inspired): American Kestrel. Merlin. Gyrfalcon. Peregrine Falcon. Oh – and there’s also the osprey and the northern harrier.
Here’s my
shortlist:
The red-tailed hawk is like the Damon Stoudamire of the sky. It’s skilled and resilient – the most common raptor in the sky, no matter where you live in North America.
Like Stoudamire, they’re bigger than they look. The red-tailed might be one of the largest hawks, but it only weighs a weak kilogram, but in flight and when hunting they act much bigger, helping them capture their own food, including rodents, snakes, and even fox kits.
And these raptors change eye colour as they grow older, which I’m fairly sure is where the Stoudamire metaphor ends.
They also have a third eyelid – to keep their eyes moist and still allow them to see – which means they’re not Third-Eye Blind, a band that had a semi-charmed kind of life when Stoudamire was the raptor circling his court.
Red-tailed hawks enjoy wide-open spaces, which means as we keep clearing land, these hawks keep killing it. Literally. They kill a lot of prey, which is great for farmers looking for a skilled assassin to manage every annoyance, big and small.
And because they’re generalists and because they don’t mind hanging out near us, red-tailed hawks are likely to withstand almost anything we throw at it. Climate change. Ecosystem rebuilds. Which sounds a lot like what the Raptors asked of Stoudamire to endure in the early years.
How about the Osprey?
They’re kind of like Chris Bosh. Big – they’re eagle-sized – super talented and they don’t like staying in the same place for their entire career.
Osprey love the fishing in Canada, but hate the winters and take their talents to South Beach (and other warm locales) when the snow starts flying. Just like Chris Bosh.
When they are here – and, heck, wherever they are (and they are everywhere: Osprey are found on every continent other than Antartica) – no one is beating them in a fishing competition. Like other raptors, Osprey have crazy eyesight and can see fish swimming in the water while flying above.
And when they see a fish? They can dive and, unlike other raptors, go to places no other raptor can reach. Which sounds a lot like Chris Bosh dunking.
You see, an Osprey has the ability to actually submerge itself in water to catch fish, closing its nostrils and using its third eye lid to maintain sight under water. Other raptors can only catch fish on the water’s surface – if they get too wet, they become to heavy to fly. But an osprey’s specially adapted feathers allow them to shake off the water – like a dog – mid-flight. Which, again, sounds like Bosh during his prime.
Oh! And osprey have a reversible outer toe, allowing them to have two facing forward and two facing backwards or three facing forward and one facing backwards. Beyond being astoundingly cool, it also means that once they catch hold of their fish, they aren’t letting go – no matter how slippery the fish, no matter how intense the competition is for the fish.
Definitely hall of fame worthy, even if they can’t gut out Toronto winters. Once more, just like Chris Bosh.
If you’re Jill and you root for an underdog, you might think the greatest Raptor is Jermone (Junkyard Dog) Williams or, in Mount Robson terms, the American kestrel.
The smallest falcon – smallest raptor – in North America, this tiny predator can hover like a hummingbird and spot prey without ever moving its head. Which is very cool – and almost as cool as the fact this raptor is specialized in eating insects and rodents.
And because kestrel eyes are almost like those of an owl, it can see nearly in the dark. Meaning this falcon can control pests at any hour – sort of like a junkyard dog. Or just like Junkyard Dog.
They often hunt in family units which makes them one of the most effective pest controllers on the landscape and, certainly, better than costly and damaging pesticides. And though they might lack the superstar qualities of other raptors on this list, their constant hard work makes everyone around them better, just as Williams did when he wore Raptors purple.
My final offering is the peregrine falcon. Once nearly extinct, courtesy of DDT, this crow-sized falcon is rebounding nicely.
Think of it as the Kyle Lowry of Mount Robson’s skies – I mean Toronto almost ran Lowry out of town once, before realizing that while he might not be able to carry the franchise, he still might be the greatest Raptor ever.
Aside from showing incredible resiliency, with a little help from its (human) friends, the peregrine falcon is also in the running for greatest raptor of all time.
Despite its diminutive size, the peregrine – like Lowry – uses speed to dominate the ecosystem.
Sure, the cheetah is fast. But guess what’s faster? The peregrine falcon.
Both can fly – one literally, the other figuratively – at over 100km/hour. Unlike the cheetah – and, rumour has it, Kyle Lowry – the peregrine falcon can spot prey kilometres away and uses both monocular and binocular vision to see objects up close and far away…at the same time.
And when this falcon spots prey, the peregrine leaves cheetahs and Lowry in the dust – diving at speeds of over 300km/hour. One peregrine was even clocked diving at nearly 400km/hour while taking out a bird mid flight.
Even superstar raptors would see their lungs explode at those speeds, which is why the peregrine has evolved specialized nostrils that cause air to enter their body in a spiral, rather than a straight line to their lungs, slowing it down long enough to stay safe at extreme speeds.
Oh! And genetically, the peregrine falcon is more closely related to the parrot than the hawk. Which is weird and interesting and a completely useless fact…unless you dig a bit deeper and realize there’s meat eating parrots out there! What type of ecosystem pressures on the parrot turned the peregrine falcon into what it is today?! To turn from prey into predator? And not just predator, but TOP predator?
Aren’t you glad the peregrine falcon is still with us? Of course you are, just as you’re happy Lowry didn’t follow DeRozen out of town back when.
So, yeah, these are pretty great raptors too.
But just like the Toronto Raptors, one Mount Robson raptor can’t do it all – it takes the whole team of raptors to sustain biodiversity, each playing a critical role in nutrient cycling and prey population management.
And because these raptors are top predators, they tell us the health of the whole ecosystem. If one falters, it might mean lesser, but still important, players down the food chain might be struggling too – and we don’t usually notice how they’re fairing because they lack superstar power.
So that’s why these (R)aptors matter, why every (R)aptor matters.
Which is the greatest? That’s for you to decide.
Raptors logo below: “2013 Toronto Raptors 1” by RMTip21 is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0.