Falconry

Falconry (occasionally referred to as 'falconeering') is the art or sport of training raptors (birds of prey) to hunt or pursue game.

Current Practices

Falconry is the hunting of quarry with a trained bird; a bird kept as a pet is not a falconer's bird. Birds may be used for breeding, or kept long after their hunting days are done, but a young fit bird should be flown at quarry.

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Most practical falconry is done with the American Red-tailed Hawk, or the Harris Hawk (a bird from the southwestern USA and Latin America which often hunts in social packs with rabbits as the main quarry). Goshawks, powerful birds of prey, are excellent hunters, once called the 'cook's hawk', but can be willful and unpredictable in unskilled hands. Rabbits are bolted from their warrens with ferrets, or approached as they lay out. The acceleration of a short-wing, especially the Goshawk, is astonishing and the rabbit surprised any distance from its burrow has little hope of escape. Short-wings will dive after their quarry into cover, where the tinkling of the bells are vital in finding the bird. Modern falconers use radio telemetry to track their birds in many cases. Game birds in season and a wide range of other quarry can be taken, though only a large female Goshawk takes many hares before a kick too many encourages them to find easier prey. Sparrowhawks were formerly used to take a range of small birds, but are really too delicate for serious falconry and have fallen out of favour now that American birds are available.

Related Topics:
Red-tailed Hawk - Harris Hawk - Latin America - Rabbit - Ferret - Goshawk - Hare - Sparrowhawk

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The long-winged falcon flies only after birds. Classical game hawking saw a brace of peregrines flown against grouse, or merlins in 'ringing' flights after skylarks. Rooks and crows are classic game for the large falcon, while the magpie, making up in cunning what it lacks in flying ability, is another common target. While short-wings can be flown in wooded country, falcons require large open tracts where the falconer can follow the flight with ease. The horses beloved of medieval falconers are, however, seen less often today!

Related Topics:
Rook - Crow - Magpie - Horse - Medieval

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Falconry is always associated with the Middle Ages, and many of its terms and practices seem archaic, but the last 30 years has seen a great rebirth of the sport, with a host of innovations. One of these, stemming from the captive breeding of birds which has rejuvenated the sport, is the creation of 'hybrid' falcons. Falcons are more closely related than many suspected, the heavy northern Gyrfalcon and Asiatic Saker being especially closely related, and they may interbreed naturally to create the so called 'Altai' falcon. Hybrids are commonly created, using artificial insemination, to boost size, strength and vigour. Though the practice is controversial, it seems here to stay.

Related Topics:
Gyrfalcon - Saker - Altai

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Birds are inevitably lost on occasion, though most are found again. There are no records of 'foreign' birds becoming established in Britain after escapes, although the return of the Goshawk as a breeding bird to Britain since the war is due in some part to falconer's escapes. After raptors were mercilessly wiped out by gamekeepers, shooters, egg collectors, and DDT, the numbers of most British species have recovered well in recent times. The Red Kite, the Goshawk and the White Tailed Sea Eagle have all returned as breeding birds, and the techniques perfected in breeding birds of prey for falconry have proved their worth.

Related Topics:
Gamekeeper - Egg collector - DDT - Red Kite - Goshawk - White Tailed Sea Eagle

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Falconers used to start with a kestrel, but this little falcon is really too delicate for a beginner's hands, and the European Buzzard is similarly useless for taking quarry. The first bird of choice is either the equable Harris Hawk or the slighly more demanding Red-tailed Hawk. The beauty of these birds, easily bred in captivity, is that they can be used to take quarry and can easily satisfy a falconer's demand for a capable bird in themselves. The Lanner falcon makes a good first long-wing, with a Peregrine, or a hybrid containing Peregrine or Gyr genes being the ultimate step.

Related Topics:
Kestrel - Buzzard - Harris Hawk - Red-tailed Hawk - Peregrine - Gyr

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Falconry is not the preserve of the past, or the lord of the manor. If its simple but inviolable precepts are followed, a well trained bird is a delight for many years. Falcons can live into their mid teens, with larger hawks living longer and eagles likely to see out their middle aged owners. The captive breeding of birds rescued a dying sport in the seventies and has ensured its good health today. It has largely escaped the attention of the anti-blood-sports lobby and its popularity, through lure flying displays at country houses and game fairs, has probably not been higher for 300 years. Flying a raptor is a delight, but entails a great responsibility. A bird cannot be loaned out to a next-door neighbour while the falconer holidays, nor hung up in a cupboard like a gun. One mistake can lose the bird, but the hours of care and attention in training is repaid in full by the thrill of a perfect flight.

Related Topics:
Lure - Holiday - Cupboard - Gun

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A few rapidly transcribed notes.

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Shakespeare "sharp set"

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Monguls, King Ethelburt (?). A royal activity. Aristo POWs. Died out with invention of flintlock pistol, cadgers, hobbies, mews (from Latin mutata, to change). In 1486, the rules and ettiquette of falconry were put down in "The Boke of St Albans" by Dame Julyans Bernes "prioress of the nunnery of Sopwell, near St. Alban's; a lady of noble family, and celebrated for her learning and accomplishments, by Leland, Bale, Pits, and others", types of birds (and jargon?) are listed in that book.

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Kestrel, Hawks, eagle, other birds used in falconry. Some are more commonly used than others, presumably.

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Also, people of different statuses were permitted to use different species.

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• Made, or manned (not trained)
• "Stoop" on prey, to "foot" it
• ungladness (not illnes)
• etc, (from book mentioned above?)
• I'm looking for a copy of the Boke of St. Albans to quote from
• Pafort, Eloise. "Notes on the Wynkyn de Worde Editions of the Boke of St. Albans and its Separates." (date?)
• http://www.flyfishinghistory.com/samuel_only%20copy.htm
• (Personal communication with John Goldfinch of the Rare Books Reading Room at the British Library, 13 February 2000.)
• http://www.biblio.com/books/135659.html (probably irrelevant)
• http://www.gutenberg.net/etext03/cllsk10.txt (hmmm, probably useful somewhere hereabouts)
• http://www.columbia.edu/acis/textarchive/rare/index.html This looks worth reviewing. May not be relevant here.