Birds of Prey (Smith novel) Birds of Prey (Smith novel) Birds of Prey is a 1997 novel by Wilbur Smith set in the late 17th century. The novel was the first in the third sequence of the Courtney series of novels, and as of 2013 was chronologically the first in the entire series. Smith says the book established the characteristics of the family: "Right from "Birds of Prey"... the Courtneys were pirates, merchants, looking to seize the main chance. They were very much driven by monetary considerations. But with the Ballantynes it was much more empire, patriotism, glory – the soldierly virtues." In 1667 Holland
Bird of prey travelled further, the familiar names were applied to new birds with similar characteristics. Names that have generalised this way include: kite ("Milvus milvus"), sparrow-hawk or sparhawk ("Accipiter nisus"), goshawk ("Accipiter gentilis"), kestrel ("Falco tinninculus"), hobby ("Falco subbuteo"), harrier (simplified from "hen-harrier", "Circus cyaneus"), buzzard ("Buteo buteo"). Some names have not generalised, and refer to single species (or groups of closely related (sub)species): merlin ("Falco columbarius"), osprey ("Pandion haliaetus"). The taxonomy of Carl Linnaeus grouped birds (class Aves) into orders, genera, and species, with no formal ranks between genus and order. He placed all birds of prey into a single order,