You always hear about cats, even large cats, being taken down by hawks, owls, falcons, eagles, etc. But has anyone ever heard of or witnessed a domestic cat killing a predatory bird?
We have a pair of bald eagles (and, I assume, bald eagle chicks) whose nest is a couple of blocks from the back of the house. Creamsicle was a stray, so she insists on being outside. We don’t let her out while the eagles are circling, just in case.
No but there are some quite small birds of prey, so it would surprise me if it had never happened.
It’s not unusual for predatory animals to kill the competition, given the opportunity. Heck, some kill other members of their own species.
I have to ask, though, about the limits to your definition of “birds of prey.” Even relatively small birds, such as starlings, swifts, woodpeckers, and even house sparrows chase down, kill, and eat smaller creatures.
I live out in the sticks in Western Colorado. My FIL really liked cats & he acquired quite a few. All of them were outdoor cats as my wife, his daughter, is allergic to cats, or their fur, or whatever it is folks are actually allergic to.
In the years that he stayed with us, I have personally seen two cat abductions. I was looking out the kitchen window both times that it happened. The first one was an owl at dusk that swooped down grabbed a cat & flew off. I do not recall the name of that cat. The owl dad had named Bob.
The next was a Golden Eagle. That one happened just after dawn. I saw a swirl of feathers & watched it fly away with a black & white male cat dangling from its talons. Dad had named that cat Alex.
My FIL said that once an eagle took one while he was outside sitting in a lawn chair petting the cats. The cat was taken about 15 feet from dad.
My wife has seen one taken as well.
We are in no danger of running out of cats as folks seem to think that dropping their unwanted house cat out in the sticks is a good disposal system for the cats. It is, for the humans, not so much for the cats. I do not find it humane. Many of the cats have been declawed. Those cats stand zero chances of living as a feral cat, as some folks seem to think.
While I am not a cat lover, we continue to take care of all the cats around here. It is what dad would have wanted.
The OP asked about birds of prey, yet we have lost some to foxes, wild dogs, & two to a cougar. I do not know if the coyotes have taken any. I would be surprised if they have not. I do not think that the bears have had any yet. The cats are very wary around them.
Oh heck, I misread the OP. You said cats killing birds of prey, not birds of prey taking cats. Sorry about that.
To answer the real question: Yes, some of our cats have caught owlets. Those are the only carcasses that I have seen. They may have taken more that I am unaware of. I would bet that they have.