No espantes al ave rapaz que anida en su hábitat.

No espantes is a negative command addressed to tú: Don’t scare ...

In Spanish, negative commands for tú use the present subjunctive:

• espantar → present subjunctive espantes
• No espantes = Don’t scare / Don’t frighten

Compare:

• Espanta al ave rapaz. = Scare the bird of prey. (affirmative tú command)
• No espantes al ave rapaz. = Don’t scare the bird of prey. (negative tú command)

So even though it looks like a different tense, this is the normal way Spanish forms negative commands.

It is second person singular: tú.

So the sentence is speaking to one person in an informal way:

• No espantes... = Don’t you scare...

If you wanted other versions:

• No espante... = formal singular (usted)
• No espantéis... = informal plural in Spain (vosotros)
• No espanten... = plural formal / Latin American ustedes

This is a very common question.

Ave is grammatically feminine, but because it begins with a stressed a sound, Spanish normally uses el in the singular:

• el ave
• el águila
• el alma

So:

• a + el = al
• therefore al ave is correct

Even though the article looks masculine, the noun is still feminine. You can see that in other words around it:

• esta ave (not este ave)
• las aves in the plural

So in this sentence, al ave rapaz is correct because it comes from a el ave rapaz.

This is related to the personal a.

Spanish often puts a before a specific animate direct object, especially a person or an animal seen as an individual being.

Here, the object is:

• el ave rapaz = the bird of prey

Because it is a living creature, Spanish uses a:

• No espantes al ave rapaz...

Without that a, the sentence would sound wrong or at least unnatural in standard Spanish.

Espantar means to scare, to frighten, or sometimes to scare away.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• make something afraid
• cause it to flee
• startle it

In this sentence, No espantes al ave rapaz... suggests:

• Don’t frighten the bird
• possibly also don’t scare it away from where it is nesting

So it is stronger than just bothering it, and more specifically about causing fear or making it fly off.

Ave rapaz is a standard expression meaning bird of prey or raptor.

Examples of aves rapaces include:

• eagles
• hawks
• falcons
• owls

So rapaz here does not mean boy or kid or anything like that. In this context, it is part of the fixed expression ave rapaz.

Because rapaz is an adjective that is invariable in form here: it can stay the same with masculine or feminine nouns.

So:

• un ave rapaz
• una especie rapaz
• los animales rapaces

In the plural, you often see rapaces, but in the singular it stays rapaz whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

Because the sentence is referring to a specific bird that is presented as actually nesting in its habitat.

Spanish uses the indicative in relative clauses when the speaker treats the information as real or known:

• el ave rapaz que anida en su hábitat
  = the bird of prey that nests / is nesting in its habitat

If the sentence were talking about an unknown or hypothetical bird, Spanish might use the subjunctive instead.

So here:

• que anida = factual, real, identified

Both are possible, but they are slightly different in feel.

• anida = simple present; can mean nests or is nesting, depending on context
• está anidando = emphasizes the action as ongoing right now

In signs, instructions, or general warnings, Spanish often prefers the simple present:

• No moleste a los animales que habitan aquí
• No espantes al ave rapaz que anida en su hábitat

So anida sounds natural and concise.

It refers to the bird’s habitat.

Here, su means its:

• el ave rapaz ... en su hábitat
• the bird of prey ... in its habitat

Spanish uses su for many meanings:

• his
• her
• its
• your (formal)
• their

So sometimes it can be ambiguous, but in this sentence the context makes it clear that su refers to the bird.

Yes, it could, but the meaning or emphasis shifts slightly.

• en su hábitat = emphasizes that this is its own natural habitat
• en el hábitat = sounds more general, more like in the habitat

Using su makes the sentence feel more protective and specific, which suits a warning like this.

Because hábitat is stressed on the first syllable:

• HÁ-bi-tat

The accent mark shows the stress clearly.

Also, hábitat is a borrowed word that keeps this spelling in Spanish. You may also see its plural as:

• hábitats

It is normally masculine:

• el hábitat
• un hábitat natural

In your sentence, you do not see the article because it appears after su:

• su hábitat

Yes, it is understandable and natural, though it sounds a bit formal, like something from:

• a wildlife notice
• an educational text
• a park sign
• an environmental message

A more everyday version might be:

• No asustes al ave rapaz que anida aquí.
• No molestes al ave rapaz que anida en su hábitat.

But your sentence is perfectly valid and fits a careful, informative register.

They are similar but not identical:

• espantar = to scare, often with the idea of making the animal flee
• asustar = to frighten
• molestar = to bother, disturb

So:

• No espantes al ave rapaz... = don’t scare it off
• No asustes al ave rapaz... = don’t frighten it
• No molestes al ave rapaz... = don’t disturb it

In a wildlife context, all three could appear, but espantar is especially good if the concern is that the animal may be driven away.

Because No te espantes means Don’t get scared or Don’t be frightened yourself.

That would make the subject and object different:

• No espantes al ave rapaz = don’t scare the bird
• No te espantes = don’t get scared

So the original sentence is using espantar transitively: someone is causing fear in the bird.

Yes. In the plural it would become:

• No espantes a las aves rapaces que anidan en su hábitat.

Changes:

• al ave → a las aves
• rapaz → rapaces
• anida → anidan

So the grammar adjusts for number all the way through the noun phrase and relative clause.

Because this is a restrictive relative clause: it identifies which bird is being referred to.

• el ave rapaz que anida en su hábitat

This means something like:

• the bird of prey that is nesting in its habitat

A comma would change the feel and suggest extra, non-essential information. Without the comma, the clause helps define the noun.

Yes, that is a reasonable interpretation.

Because espantar can suggest both:

• frighten
• scare away

And anida can mean:

• nests
• is nesting, depending on context

So the sentence can carry both a general environmental meaning and a more immediate warning not to disturb a nesting bird.