Ask a Birder

Ask a Birder: What is the attraction of raptors?

March 25, 2026 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Now, we would obviously never admit it in public, but some of the questions answered in this series were made up by the writers. Shocking, I know.

Then again, we sometimes have questions that sound like they are made up but are not. Like the one posed above, followed by the comment “I don’t understand that: no colours, too visible, uninteresting behaviour.” You may need to keep in mind that the person asking the question likes pipits, which he describes as “not too visible and difficult to identify”, as if that was an advantage rather than a reason to declare them as pests.

So, I thought, what is the attraction of raptors for me. And the answer is a bit embarrassing.

Black-winged Kite

As a kid, I had a slightly unhealthy fascination with battle tanks, which in the part of rural Germany at that time were still a somewhat frequent sight (Cold War manoeuvres). I later did alternative service, driving an ambulance for the German Red Cross rather than doing my then compulsory military service, so I guess it was not mainly a fascination with war and death even then. But even now, I still cannot help but think that battle tanks look elegant and even cool. Yes, violent and aggressive, too.

And that is probably what attracts me to raptors as well – though I wish I had a better explanation, like raptors as a symbol for freedom and strength and whatnot.

Eastern Marsh Harrier

But it would probably not be true.

Cover: Pied Harrier

“Leopard 2 A5 der Bundeswehr” by Bundeswehr-Fotos is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well. He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.