Shattil & Rozinski / Ferruginous hawks {Buteo regalis} fighting over Prairie dog kill, Colorado, USA

Colin Varndell / Common buzzard wings spread, mantling prey {Buteo buteo} UK.

Colin Varndell / Juvenile Common buzzard mantling prey and calling {Buteo buteo} UK.

Niall Benvie / White tailed sea eagle mantling prey {Haliaeetus albicilla} Norway

Sergey Gorshkov / Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) protecting / mantling Western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) prey in snow, Finland, March.

Dave Bevan / Female Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) mantling over Wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) prey, Bedfordshire, England, UK. October.

Alan Murphy/ BIA / Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) female protecting prey, Texas

Ben Hall / Golden eagle (Aquilla chrysaetos) mantling or protecting over brown hare in snow, Czech Republic, February. Captive.

Robin Chittenden / Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) mantling Stock dove (Columba oenas) prey, Norfolk, England, UK, April.

Markus Varesvuo / Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) feeding and mantling /covering carcass with wings, Heinola, Finland, January

Mike Wilkes / Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) mantling / shielding rabbit prey with wings, Warwickshire, England, UK, March

Roger Powell / Buzzard (Buteo buteo) mantling a carcass to try to prevent another getting to it, Dransfeld, Hannover, Germany, January

Roger Powell / Buzzard (Buteo buteo) mantling carcass to prevent a Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) from feeding on it Dransfeld, Hannover, Germany, January

Sergey Gorshkov / Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) mantling fish prey beside Lake Kuril, Kamchatka, Far East Russia, January

Sergey Gorshkov / Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) mantling fish prey beside Lake Kuril, watched by other sea eagles, Kamchatka, Far East Russia, January

Sergey Gorshkov / Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) feeding on fish prey, mantling, Lake Kuril, Kamchatka, Far East Russia, January

Fraser Gunn / Swamp Harrier (Circus approximans) calling during threat display, New Zealand

Pete Oxford / Antarctic Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus) feeding on Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) bull carcass and mantling to prevent competition, Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands

Pete Oxford / Antarctic Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus) feeding on Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) bull carcass and mantling to prevent competition, Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands

Paul Hobson / Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) mantling on pheasant, Peak District, England, UK. December, Captive.

Paul Hobson / Northern goshawk {Accipiter gentilis} juvenile male mantling on snow, Derbyshire, England, UK

Wild Wonders of Europe / Zacek / Female Great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) on ground with wings spread, Oulu, Finland, February 2009

Guy Edwardes / Common Buzzard {Buteo buteo} perched, mantling, captive, UK

Igor Shpilenok / Steller's sea eagle {Haliaeetus pelagicus} feeding on and defending Sockeye salmon prey, Kuril Lake, Kamchatka, Far East Russia

Igor Shpilenok / Steller's sea eagle {Haliaeetus pelagicus} defending Sockeye salmon prey, Kuril Lake, Kamchatka, Far East Russia

Shattil & Rozinski / Ferruginous hawk {Buteo regalis} mantling Prairie dog prey, Colorado, USA

Niall Benvie / Immature White tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) mantling a carcass, Estonia

Thomas Lazar / Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) adult on sea ice with head raise giving territory call, standing with wings out encircling fish in talons, protecting food from other nearby adults, Kenai Peninsu...

Thomas Lazar / Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) adult on sea ice standing with wings out encircling fish in talons, protecting food from other nearby adults, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA

Shattil & Rozinski / Ferruginous hawk {Buteo regalis} mantling prey, protecting it from marauding Black billed magpie, Colorado, USA

Owen Newman / Wedge tailed eagle {Aquila audax} mantling prey, Sturt NP, New South Wales, Australia.

Pete Cairns / Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) adult male mantling, captive, Cairngorms NP, Scotland, UK.

Chris O'Reilly / Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) sub-adult, mantling while scavenging from a red fox carcass, Scotland, UK, Captive

Chris O'Reilly / Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) sub-adult, mantling while scavenging from a red fox carcass, Scotland, UK, Captive

Staffan Widstrand / White tailed Sea Eagle mantling prey, {Haliaetus albicilla} Flatanger, Norway

Niall Benvie / Male golden eagle mantling carcass {Aquila chrysaetos} Norway

Philippe Clement / Common buzzard mantling prey {Buteo buteo} Belgium

Tom Vezo / Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) mantling prey, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona

Tom Vezo / Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) mantling prey in snow, upstate New York

Tim Fitzharris / Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) in protective stance standing on downed duck, North America

DAVID TIPLING / Northern goshawk mantling prey {Accipiter gentilis} Scotland, U

David Kjaer / Northern goshawk female mantling rabbit prey {Accipiter gentilis} UK - captive bird

Asgeir Helgestad / Northern goshawk {Accipiter gentilis} juvenile mantling Fox carcass. Norway

Mike Read / Sparrowhawk male mantling prey {Accipiter nisus} Hampshire, UK

Niall Benvie / Golden eagle immature mantling prey. Sor Trondelag, Norway, Scandinavia, Europe

Mike Wilkes / Common buzzard mantling (protecting) prey. Wales UK

Juergen & Christine Sohns / Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) guarding bird prey, native to northern hemisphere

Juergen & Christine Sohns / Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) guarding bird prey, native to northern hemisphere

Klaus Nigge / Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) male perched beside chick as it mantles over prey in nest, Kitanglad mountain range, Mindanao, Philippines, May 2007. Critically endangered.

Klaus Nigge / Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) perching on arm of caretaker Eddy Juntilla, Philippine Eagle Foundation, Malagos, Davao, Mindanao, Philippines. First Philippine Eagle bred through artificial...

Sergey Gorshkov / Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) resting on rocky outcrop with wings spread, overlooking valley with forest, Land of the Leopard National Park, Russian Far East. Taken with remote camera. January...

Bernard Castelein / RF - Black egret (Egretta ardesiaca) standing in shallow water with small fish in beak, Allahein River, The Gambia. (This image may be licensed either as rights managed or royalty free.)

Roland Seitre / Black hawk eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus) on ground, mantling, Jacobo Lacs breeding facility, Colon region, Panama. Captive.

Lynn M. Stone / Sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) with White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) prey, perched in shrub vines, Milford, Connecticut, USA. December.

Andy Trowbridge / Swamp harrier (Circus approximans) mantling its prey, a Pukeko (Porphyrio porphyrio), Cooper's Lagoon, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Andy Trowbridge / Swamp harrier (Circus approximans) covering it's prey, a Pukeko (Porphyrio porphyrio), with it's wings, Cooper's Lagoon, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Andy Trowbridge / Swamp harrier (Circus approximans) covering it's prey, a mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos), with wings, Cooper's Lagoon, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Manuel Gracia / Booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) mantling and plucking feathers from its kill before feeding, Seville, Spain, March.

Mike Read / Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) male, perched on branch mantling prey, New Forest National Park, Hampshire, England, UK. February.

Andy Trowbridge / Swamp harrier / Australasian harrier (Circus approximans) with wings spread mantling / protecting prey from other harriers, New Zealand.

David Tipling / Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) mantling prey Norfolk, UK. December.

David Tipling / Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) female mantling prey. North Norfolk, England, UK. April.

David Tipling / Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) juvenile male mantling Wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) prey and vocalising in reaction to arrival of female. North Norfolk, England, UK. April.