Which species locates its prey primarily by sound?

The species that primarily locates its prey by sound is the marsh hawk, also known as the northern harrier. This raptor has a unique hunting strategy that involves utilizing its highly developed auditory senses to detect small mammals and birds, especially in dense vegetation or grasslands. The marsh hawk has an unfeathered facial disk, which aids in sound collection, allowing the bird to pinpoint the location of its prey even when it cannot see it directly.

In contrast, the other species listed tend to rely more on visual cues for hunting. Ospreys, for example, primarily hunt fish by spotting them while hovering above water. Swallow-tailed kites are agile flyers that often hunt insects and small animals, relying on keen eyesight. Audubon's caracaras mostly scavenge and may hunt smaller prey but do so primarily by seeing rather than hearing. This distinction emphasizes the marsh hawk's unique adaptation in the avian world for locating prey.