This is what I find:I am extremely sure that the term "birds of prey" was used at least once.
UHURA: I was tracking solar systems and I picked up an emergency transmission.I think "ship" is used another time or two to refer to Klingon vessels, but I don't find "bird of prey".
GAILA: Really?
UHURA: Yeah, from a Klingon prison planet.
GAILA: No?
UHURA: Yeah. A Klingon armada was destroyed. Forty-seven ships.
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MCCOY: Two Klingon vessels have entered the neutral zone and are locking weapons on us.
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MCCOY: Three more Klingon warbirds decloaking and targeting our ship. I don't suppose this is a problem either.
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KIRK: Hmm... arm photons, prepare to fire on the Klingon warbirds.
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KIRK: Fire on all enemy ships. One photon each should do it, so don't waste ammunition.
CADET: Target locked and acquired on all warbirds. Firing.
CADET: All ships destroyed, Captain.
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KIRK: [...] The Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space and at twenty-three hundred hours last night, there was an attack. Forty-seven Klingon warbirds destroyed by a Romulan, sir. [...]
Edit: The transcript I used as reference can be found here. Other than the odd typo, I've found no errors yet.
I stand corrected. Thank you.
... And let's also note - not a "battlecruiser" in the lot of them.
