WEBVTT 1 00:00:28.720 --> 00:00:30.080 Radar accurate eyes 2 00:00:30.080 --> 00:00:35.000 survey the land, slanted feathers adjust flight paths as falcons attack 3 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:38.120 pelicans soar kestrels hover 4 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:41.480 owls silently fly parrots flock 5 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:44.920 vultures swarm and eagles swarm 6 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:48.960 which is the true master of the sky 7 00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:00.400 masters. 8 00:01:00.400 --> 00:01:03.920 Of all these surveys, the dynamic raptors are magnificent 9 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:06.560 birds of prey. 10 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:11.720 Revered for over 2000 years as a symbol of speed and power, 11 00:01:12.240 --> 00:01:15.040 the peregrine falcon was a favorite with Egyptian and Chinese 12 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:16.560 falconers 13 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:22.280 with long yellow legs, 14 00:01:22.280 --> 00:01:25.840 large black clawed feet and supremely powerful vision. 15 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:39.280 The bird hunting peregrine strikes fear in the skies, waiting for its moment. 16 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:42.400 The falcon takes off in low, fast 17 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:50.520 flight. 18 00:01:54.600 --> 00:01:56.440 The peregrine is capable of taking birds 19 00:01:56.440 --> 00:02:00.560 much larger and stronger than itself, even up to the size of a heron. 20 00:02:01.080 --> 00:02:08.760 But for an average meal, the feral pigeon is a firm favorite. 21 00:02:08.760 --> 00:02:09.640 Although appearing 22 00:02:09.640 --> 00:02:13.400 similar in size, pigeons are around half the weight of the peregrine 23 00:02:20.200 --> 00:02:21.400 in level flight. 24 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:24.120 The sturdy pigeon may occasionally outside the peregrine, 25 00:02:24.600 --> 00:02:27.480 but the falcon is a formidable hunter, and the pigeon is 26 00:02:27.480 --> 00:02:30.440 far from safe. 27 00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:36.000 The pigeon may be fast, 28 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.680 but the peregrine falcon is the fastest animal 29 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:46.040 on earth. 30 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:50.240 Flying at a great height, the peregrine goes into a stoop, 31 00:02:50.640 --> 00:02:54.120 a high speed dove that can reach over 300 kilometers per hour. 32 00:02:55.440 --> 00:03:06.600 At this point, the pigeons fate is sealed. 33 00:03:11.760 --> 00:03:14.480 Such active hunting techniques produce high energy needs. 34 00:03:14.760 --> 00:03:17.400 And the peregrine is an aggressive and highly adept 35 00:03:17.640 --> 00:03:20.520 aerial hunter. 36 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:26.720 Almost three times faster than a cheetah. 37 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:42.000 The peregrine falcon is a true master of the sky. 38 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:44.240 When these petite, brightly colored budgies 39 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:46.440 take to the air above the arid lands of Australia. 40 00:03:46.920 --> 00:03:52.160 They color the sky as green and yellow, 41 00:03:52.160 --> 00:03:54.960 a bug's pointed wingspan around 30 centimeters. 42 00:03:55.200 --> 00:03:58.120 Carry these small ground feeding parrots to their daily food 43 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:02.640 and water, highly scheduled to their drinking habits. 44 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:06.960 Lodges drink five and a half percent of their 30 gram body weight every day. 45 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:20.600 Huge flocks gather around the waterfalls of the Australian outback, but the bugs 46 00:04:21.200 --> 00:04:30.440 are not alone. 47 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:32.640 For the bite 48 00:04:32.640 --> 00:04:37.520 size bug danger lurks overhead as fast flying Raptors survey 49 00:04:37.520 --> 00:04:38.760 the scene 50 00:04:41.760 --> 00:04:44.520 in flocks lead tied with thousands of birds. 51 00:04:44.840 --> 00:04:48.360 Bugs are afforded some safety in numbers as they wield 52 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:52.920 and change directions as a single mass. 53 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:56.040 But falcons and kites are natural born 54 00:04:56.040 --> 00:05:00.240 bird hunters, and a single bird of prey can change the course 55 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:14.520 of a flock of thousands. 56 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:20.440 The long pointed wings of the Black Falcon 57 00:05:20.760 --> 00:05:25.320 marked the presence of this sleek, fierce aerial hunter 58 00:05:26.520 --> 00:05:28.880 hunting either by a stoop from on high 59 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:31.800 or by direct attack and vigorous chase. 60 00:05:32.400 --> 00:05:35.720 The Black Falcon has even been known to rob other raptors 61 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:41.000 of their kill, and 62 00:05:42.400 --> 00:05:45.520 the bird hunter brings chaos to the boggy filled skies. 63 00:05:46.080 --> 00:05:50.320 Their large wing area affords them prolonged sawing time, and hunting on 64 00:05:50.320 --> 00:05:53.720 the wing means these attackers can follow through post-impact, 65 00:05:54.440 --> 00:05:58.200 lessening the blow they must absorb for the dainty buggy. 66 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:20.840 These birds can mean the end. 67 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:25.520 The Black Falcon rears its chicks in the large stick nests of another bird. 68 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:30.840 The male bringing food to his young, held high in the treetop nursery. This 69 00:06:30.840 --> 00:06:35.480 unfortunate budgie will bring strength and nutrition to the growing Raptors 70 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:42.000 at around six weeks of age. 71 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.800 These chicks will have taken on the darker color of their parents and will be grown 72 00:06:45.840 --> 00:06:48.920 enough to take the first fight on wings that will allow them 73 00:06:49.200 --> 00:07:04.320 to rule the skies. 74 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:09.360 Some animals inspire all and respect by their presence alone. 75 00:07:10.200 --> 00:07:14.160 The wedge tailed eagle, the largest bird of prey in Australia, 76 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:19.640 is one such animal. 77 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:23.000 The emblem of the Air Force's 78 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:25.360 Police Forces and Wildlife Services. 79 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.040 The Wedgetail Eagle is the ultimate symbol of strength, power 80 00:07:29.280 --> 00:07:31.640 and freedom. 81 00:07:35.280 --> 00:07:38.280 Preferring wooded and forested land and open country, 82 00:07:38.640 --> 00:07:42.160 Wedgetail eagles soar from low flight to two kilometers high 83 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:45.360 on outstretched wings that span over two and a half meters. 84 00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:49.200 For prominent perches, they scan the countryside 85 00:07:49.200 --> 00:07:52.440 with sophisticated binocular vision. 86 00:07:52.440 --> 00:07:56.680 The bony rings that surround the eyes can squeeze an elongated eyeball, 87 00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:59.760 acting like a telephoto lens, enlarging 88 00:07:59.760 --> 00:08:03.000 the image they see with precise distance measurement. 89 00:08:03.200 --> 00:08:19.520 They pinpoint their prey, long slot and slight feathers 90 00:08:19.520 --> 00:08:24.520 on immensely powerful wings carry the four kilogram eagle low over land. 91 00:08:25.320 --> 00:08:29.440 Its ability to soar close to the ground make it a supreme hunter of small. 92 00:08:29.440 --> 00:08:43.920 Ground dwelling mammals. 93 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:48.840 Both hunter and carrion eater, the wedge tailed 94 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:52.640 eagle, can spend over an hour airborne searching the land below. 95 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:56.600 Territorial birds, they have been known to attack 96 00:08:56.600 --> 00:08:59.600 hang gliders and parachutists that have come too close 97 00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:10.120 to their nests, 98 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:13.280 capable of carrying half their body weight and grasping talons. 99 00:09:13.680 --> 00:09:17.120 Prey is often found by slope watering flight as they fly 100 00:09:17.160 --> 00:09:21.440 between ten and 20 meters above the ground. 101 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:26.760 Unless there are chicks to be fed back at the nest, 102 00:09:27.320 --> 00:09:29.560 the kill is usually eaten where it is captured. 103 00:09:30.280 --> 00:09:30.720 Immense. 104 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:33.960 Hooked bills tearing through the flesh. 105 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:38.120 Rabbits are a firm favorite of these most magnificent. 106 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:52.920 Of birds and. 107 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:57.240 These graceful 108 00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:00.320 formation flying birds that soar on thermals. 109 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:04.160 High above the ground are some of the largest and most engaging 110 00:10:04.160 --> 00:10:07.320 of all the water birds. 111 00:10:07.480 --> 00:10:10.520 Pelican species range in color from the aptly named Brown 112 00:10:10.520 --> 00:10:13.840 Pelican of the Americas through the shades of mottled gray 113 00:10:14.200 --> 00:10:16.880 to the distinctive black and white plumage of the Australian 114 00:10:16.880 --> 00:10:21.000 pelican, wide 115 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:25.400 spread over freshwater as green and marine wetlands and waterways. 116 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:29.960 Australian pelicans are large social creatures, distinctive bills 117 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:42.000 and rotund bodies, setting them aside from other waterbirds, 118 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:44.040 making their movement rather heavy on land. 119 00:10:44.400 --> 00:10:46.800 Their webbed feet make pelican superb swimmers 120 00:10:47.280 --> 00:10:51.040 perfectly adapted for their aquatic lifestyle. 121 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:56.800 Yet when these huge birds take themselves to the skies 122 00:10:56.800 --> 00:11:00.120 in great flocks, they become powerful and elegant 123 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:18.720 fliers. 124 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:22.760 Australian pelicans can stand between one and two meters 125 00:11:22.800 --> 00:11:26.200 tall with yellow ringed eyes that stare out of white feathered faces. 126 00:11:26.760 --> 00:11:33.520 Yet it is their pink build that is truly remarkable. 127 00:11:33.520 --> 00:11:37.440 The longest build of any living bird, the build of the Australian pelican 128 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:40.320 with its hook tip can reach 47 centimeters in length. 129 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:43.560 Huge extendable pouches on the lower mandibles. 130 00:11:43.800 --> 00:11:49.040 Act like a net and scoop up vast quantities of fish. 131 00:11:52.680 --> 00:11:53.120 Newly 132 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:55.760 hatched naked chicks feed on regurgitate of food. 133 00:11:56.200 --> 00:11:58.560 They will get their feathers at around eight weeks of age 134 00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:03.720 and will attempt their first flight at about three months. 135 00:12:08.760 --> 00:12:10.840 By the time this chick is fully grown, 136 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:16.640 it will eat just under ten kilograms of fish every day. 137 00:12:21.240 --> 00:12:24.360 Pelicans are gregarious animals living in large 138 00:12:24.360 --> 00:12:27.120 colonies and sharing their habitat with many other birds 139 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:30.320 that take advantage of the water's edge and everything 140 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.440 that it has to offer. 141 00:12:38.880 --> 00:12:39.480 When it comes 142 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:42.960 to wing size, the pelican dwarfs its fellow waterbirds. 143 00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:46.200 Having a wingspan that rivals that of the Wedgetail eagle 144 00:12:52.040 --> 00:12:52.760 on the other 145 00:12:52.760 --> 00:12:55.920 side of the world, the brown pelican of the Americas, 146 00:12:56.360 --> 00:13:00.560 the smallest of the Pelican Family, takes advantage of the rising warm air 147 00:13:00.560 --> 00:13:11.840 and soaring on thermals as they travel over the oceans. 148 00:13:15.800 --> 00:13:16.320 Unlike 149 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:19.800 other pelicans, the brown pelican is an expert diver, 150 00:13:20.280 --> 00:13:23.040 plunging gannet like to retrieve deep swimming fish. 151 00:13:23.520 --> 00:13:34.040 Master of both water and air. 152 00:13:37.640 --> 00:13:39.120 Of the eight and a half thousand 153 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:43.240 species of birds in the world, just under 300 of them are seabirds 154 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.000 ranging from those that are migratory and dispersive 155 00:13:47.400 --> 00:13:50.320 to those that are rarely seen away from their breeding colonies. 156 00:13:50.880 --> 00:13:53.680 The long winged birds that live a life of sea and air 157 00:13:53.880 --> 00:13:56.840 are truly free. 158 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:00.560 A member of the Gregarious Gannet family, 159 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:04.120 the masked booby breeds on islands and tropical oceans 160 00:14:11.280 --> 00:14:13.320 nesting close to clear deep water. 161 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:17.160 These incredible divers can fish 12 meters below the surface, 162 00:14:17.640 --> 00:14:21.000 chasing after fish and squid on which they and their chicks 163 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:23.520 depend. 164 00:14:26.280 --> 00:14:28.440 Masked boobies, in most cases, 165 00:14:28.680 --> 00:14:32.080 lay two eggs with several days in between each. 166 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:38.160 The elder chick injects the younger from the nest, increasing its own chances 167 00:14:38.160 --> 00:14:42.280 of survival, as it depends on the expert foraging skills of his parents. 168 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:52.040 For its first few months of life. 169 00:14:52.880 --> 00:14:56.240 Unlike the masked booby, the sooty turn is one of the elite 170 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:59.160 bird species that can hover to do so. 171 00:14:59.400 --> 00:15:02.880 They need to be facing into the wind, which then slows over the airfoil 172 00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:06.120 of their wings, giving them enough list to hover 173 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:15.720 for a few precious seconds. 174 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:19.600 Breeding is one of the few times these migratory birds come to land 175 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:26.960 for any real length of time. 176 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:31.400 In jerky courtship displays, mates circle around each other with slightly dropped 177 00:15:31.400 --> 00:15:36.440 wings, calling softly with their bills, pointing downwards. 178 00:15:40.920 --> 00:15:42.320 Noisy birds. 179 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:45.160 A breeding colony is seldom, if ever, quiet 180 00:15:45.640 --> 00:15:48.120 as the incessant high pitched calls sound out. 181 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:50.840 The reason for the sooty terns other name 182 00:15:51.480 --> 00:16:00.120 the white. 183 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:07.880 These impressive birds can stay at sea for phenomenally 184 00:16:07.920 --> 00:16:12.120 long periods of time from fledgling until they first come back to nest. 185 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:15.240 Four or five years later, they will seldom touch land 186 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:17.520 to help them do this. 187 00:16:17.520 --> 00:16:21.200 They have an incredible ability to take one or 2/2 micro naps 188 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:22.560 while flying 189 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:26.320 while at sea. 190 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:28.920 They feed on the fish, driven up to the surface by tuna 191 00:16:29.160 --> 00:16:38.520 and other underwater predators. 192 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:42.440 These amazing terns really are true 193 00:16:42.440 --> 00:17:13.160 birds of the sea, guardian of the forest, 194 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:17.400 keeper of wisdom and soul behind all seeing eyes. 195 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:22.360 Barn owls evoke an eerie respect from all those who encounter them. 196 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:25.520 Nocturnal hunters. 197 00:17:25.520 --> 00:17:29.520 These mystical birds have taken stealth hunting to a degree beyond all others. 198 00:17:30.080 --> 00:17:32.160 Flying between trees on dark nights. 199 00:17:32.520 --> 00:17:33.000 The owls. 200 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:40.040 Success is its silence. 201 00:17:40.040 --> 00:17:41.520 Hunting in darkness. 202 00:17:41.520 --> 00:17:45.320 It relies on superb hearing to locate the small ground mammals it seeks. 203 00:17:46.040 --> 00:17:48.240 Its approach must be completely 204 00:17:48.560 --> 00:17:57.120 without sound. 205 00:17:58.360 --> 00:18:03.360 Huge wings give highly controlled flight as its heart shaped face 206 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:06.720 directs the tiny noises given off by potential prey 207 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:16.040 to its inner ear. 208 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:20.800 Soft fringed 209 00:18:20.800 --> 00:18:24.760 feathers on long, wide wings reduce the loud turbulence of flight 210 00:18:25.320 --> 00:18:29.520 while their velvety surface reduces any friction noise between feathers. 211 00:18:30.600 --> 00:18:33.360 With silent precision, the barn owl hunts 212 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:47.520 in the darkest of forest nights, 213 00:18:47.520 --> 00:18:50.000 constantly scanning the open plains of Africa, 214 00:18:50.320 --> 00:18:53.960 or the highly tuned eyes of the famous birds that clean up the savannahs. 215 00:18:57.120 --> 00:18:59.880 Vultures in full flight present an elegant sight 216 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:04.440 soaring on powerful wings, eyes trained on the land below, 217 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:07.760 some flocking together, others taking a more solitary 218 00:19:07.760 --> 00:19:10.080 path. 219 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:16.720 Famed carrion eaters. 220 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:20.680 Vultures spend hours aloft on thermals, soaring on air currents 221 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:29.000 as they scan the landscape for signs of food, 222 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:32.680 exploiting columns of warm air that rise up over 1500 meters. 223 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:36.080 Soldiers have been known to travel 75 kilometers 224 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:41.640 using a mere half dozen of these thermals. 225 00:19:47.040 --> 00:19:47.480 Healthy 226 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:49.920 living animals need not fear the vulture. 227 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:54.320 These powerful birds are carrion specialists with different vultures 228 00:19:54.360 --> 00:19:59.400 having different roles and specializations. 229 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:02.480 Leopard face vultures tend to be more solitary birds 230 00:20:02.520 --> 00:20:05.480 than the smaller white bag vultures that tend to slump 231 00:20:07.040 --> 00:20:08.400 in the vulture world. 232 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:12.080 Many eyes make light work as feeding groups attract the attention 233 00:20:12.120 --> 00:20:17.840 of others from several kilometers away who quickly join the feeding site. 234 00:20:18.040 --> 00:20:20.960 It can take just moments before Carcass is covered in a feathered 235 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:29.520 frenzy. 236 00:20:31.760 --> 00:20:33.200 There are others that keep a 237 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:39.680 watchful eye on proceedings. 238 00:20:40.680 --> 00:20:42.560 Smaller white bag vultures. 239 00:20:42.560 --> 00:20:45.600 The most common of the African vultures cannot rip through hide. 240 00:20:46.080 --> 00:20:51.200 But specialize on the soft muscle, organ, tissue and bone fragments of the feast. 241 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:55.360 While powerful leopard faced vultures tear through the knotty muscle 242 00:20:55.520 --> 00:20:58.640 and hide of mammals. 243 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:11.760 Even more animals are drawn to join in, 244 00:21:11.760 --> 00:21:14.520 although hunting much more of their food than they scavenge. 245 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:19.080 The hyena is an expert opportunist and will be unlikely to overlook 246 00:21:19.080 --> 00:21:21.120 a blackening meal 247 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:30.360 with massively powerful jaws. 248 00:21:30.360 --> 00:21:33.480 The hyenas ability to tear through meat, hide and bone 249 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:37.320 surpasses that of even the largest of these aerial carnivores. 250 00:21:38.080 --> 00:21:41.160 Vultures tend to give way to mammalian competition 251 00:21:44.120 --> 00:21:45.560 among themselves. 252 00:21:45.560 --> 00:21:47.960 Occasional conflicts over hierarchy break out 253 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:03.040 as hippo, elephant and rhino die. 254 00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:07.400 Wildebeest and zebra drowned or their annual migrations. 255 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:11.240 And nature takes its toll on the large mammals of the plane, 256 00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:16.040 its scavengers, both of land and air. 257 00:22:16.440 --> 00:22:19.680 Ensure that nothing goes to waste 258 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:36.160 over the open landscapes of Australia. 259 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:41.960 Flies as small as Falcon, the long tailed, long winged, inquisitive man King 260 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:45.920 Kestrel, not much over 30 261 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:48.840 centimeters long and weighed under 300 grams. 262 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:54.160 This delicate Kestrel is a master of making itself at home, breeding on cliffs, 263 00:22:54.440 --> 00:22:59.240 on the ledges of buildings, and in the hollows of trees. 264 00:23:00.600 --> 00:23:05.040 The success of this little bird of prey is due in part to its ability to tolerate 265 00:23:05.040 --> 00:23:11.240 and thrive in a range of habitats and on a range of shoots. 266 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:19.480 Unlike other falcons, the Kestrel does not rely on 267 00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:22.080 the incredible speeds reached by its Peregrine cousin. 268 00:23:22.800 --> 00:23:25.320 This little falcon uses another hunting method. 269 00:23:25.840 --> 00:23:31.120 It can hover rapid wing beads combined with a rudder like fan tail. 270 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:33.200 Keep its head and body still 271 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:46.320 selecting its prey from its aerial vantage point. 272 00:23:46.600 --> 00:23:49.840 The kestrel drops nearer to the ground until it is close enough 273 00:23:50.080 --> 00:23:51.520 to pounce. 274 00:23:54.920 --> 00:23:56.040 Small mammals, 275 00:23:56.040 --> 00:23:59.640 crickets, spiders and grasshoppers are all fair game. 276 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:03.280 While some insects and smaller birds are plucked out mid-air, 277 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:37.240 most of the kestrels prey is firmly on the ground, usually breeding every year. 278 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:39.680 Man keen kestrels often mate for life. 279 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:42.720 Their chicks ready to leave the nest at just a month old. 280 00:24:43.320 --> 00:24:45.400 At first, they will follow their parents, 281 00:24:45.840 --> 00:24:48.280 flying to them and taking food at a perch. 282 00:24:49.040 --> 00:24:52.040 After two more months, they are ready to fend for themselves 283 00:24:52.320 --> 00:25:03.120 and begin the life of a bird on the wing. 284 00:25:04.360 --> 00:25:06.840 The hovering kestrel, 285 00:25:07.160 --> 00:25:08.960 the magnificent pelican, 286 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:13.120 and the soaring seabirds darting budgies. 287 00:25:13.120 --> 00:25:21.800 And the resplendent owls on silent wings. 288 00:25:21.800 --> 00:25:24.160 Falcons that fly faster than the turn of a head. 289 00:25:25.080 --> 00:25:27.960 Eagles that carry off young wallabies. 290 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:32.360 Vultures that clean the African plains, which is the 291 00:25:32.360 --> 00:25:59.520 true master of the sky.