All diurnal birds of prey eat some type of animal flesh, including reptiles, insects, fish, birds, mammals, molluscs, and carrion. Groups of birds favor certain foods. Most Old and New World vultures prefer to eat carrion. Larger falcons and Accipiter hawks eat mostly birds. Buteo hawks tend to feed on mammals, such as mice, voles, ground squirrels, rats, rabbits, and gophers.
Some species have specialized diets.
Ospreys feed almost exclusively on fish. Snail kites dine on apple snails. B. Food intake. The amount of food a diurnal bird of prey eats depends largely on the species, size, and sex of the bird. Smaller birds have a larger surface area to body volume ratio than larger birds, causing them to lose body heat more rapidly.