Despite the success of their previous studio album Ismism (1981), Birds of Prey failed to chart, and was their only album not to have charted anywhere. Two singles were released from the album: "Save a Mountain for Me" and "Samson", both of which also failed to chart.
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Dave Thompson deemed the album "the least successful inclusion in the Godley & Creme catalog", and called it "a major disappointment".[4]