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FALCONRY:

Falconry:

• Summary
• Falconry is ... (define, elucidate)

Falconry (also called hawking) is the hunting of a wild animal in cooperation with a trained bird of prey. While keeping a raptor and flying it to a lure are part of falconry, they are not by themselves falconry, as they lack a hunting element. Falconry is also distinct from professional bird abatement, raptor rehabilitation, and educational demonstrations. Of these, only bird abatement involves pursuit of wild animals with a raptor, and the purpose of abatement is not to hunt but to deter nuisance birds from staying in a given area.

The species and method of obtaining the raptor depend on applicable laws and the preferences of the falconer. Once obtained, the raptor is trained to hunt with people, often following a course that starts with manning the raptor (socializing it to humans, reducing its fear), followed by teaching recall skills (e.g. with a gauntlet and / or lure), and finishing by hunting with the raptor; the specifics vary depending on a large number of factors. Falconers may hunt rabbits, duck, quail, and houbara, among other animals.

A typical hunt with a Peregrine falcon may involve flushing ducks from a pond to make them vulnerable to the falcon's stoop; a typical hunt with a Harris' hawk may involve carrying the hawk(s) around on a "T-perch" (a tall pole with a cross-member on top which the birds ride on) and hitting grass until a rabbit moves and reveals itself. Once the prey is sighted, the raptor attempts to catch the prey. Raptors often miss the quarry; the quarry can outmaneuver or outsmart them. A common misconception is the belief that the bird will bring the prey back to the falconer; in reality, if the raptor successfully subdues the quarry, it will typically begin to eat wherever it lands. The falconer will then typically approach the bird and trade off by offering it a previously prepared piece of meat and hiding the quarry while the bird is distracted with the proffered meat. Hunts are often concluded at this point.

• Its origins are ... (history)

Falconry is thought to have originated ...

During the Middle Ages, falconry became known as the "sport of kings" (although it is not the only sport called as such).

• With the advent of firearms ...

• Modern falconry ... (generalities, mention regional dependencies)

Modern falconers ...

Regional variation in falconry quarry, training practices, laws, and customs is very high.

Falconry is not as popular as it was during the Middle Ages; currently between 2,000 and 5,000 falconers are active in the United States, and there are perhaps 20,000 in the U.K.

Some of the more important developments in modern falconry are the advent of captive breeding, the use of radio beacons (known by falconers as "telemetry") to track and recover lost raptors, and the discovery of the Red-tailed and Harris' hawks' suitability for falconry.

History

Modern

In the United States ...

Practice

Falconry practices and techniques vary widely based on a number of factors.

Generally, people new to falconry are strongly encouraged to seek a mentor; in the U.S., an apprenticeship under the supervision of a falconer who has practiced at least 5 years is required by law. The number of available techniques ... Regional ... Local hunting ... Local laws ... Furthermore, day-to-day maintenance of a raptor can involve counter-intuitive knowledge or an understanding of hard-to-see factors like disease onset; these aspects can surprise a person who is not sufficiently educated or not being mentored, and it may result in a dead or lost raptor. The effort expended developing a relationship with the local falconry community and building deep personal knowledge yields enough success in falconry to justify the time required.

This section is HUGE and probably needs to be its own page.

Birds

Species Used

In determining whether a species can or should be used for falconry, the species' suitability for a captive environment, its responsiveness to training, and its typical prey and hunting habits are considered. To some degree, a species' reputation will determine whether it's used, although this factor is somewhat harder to objectively gauge. Many species used in falconry have been known to be suitable since the middle ages or earlier; the Northern Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, and Golden Eagle have been flown for a very long time. More recently, however, the Harris' Hawk and Red-tailed hawk have been found to be useful in a variety of contexts. Hybrids have also been making an impact; probably the best known hybrid is the Gyr-Peregrine, but experimentation continues. Local laws also play a large role in the selection of a species.

Falconry birds are typically categorized in three main groups: broadwings, shortwings, and longwings.

Broadwings

Broadwings include birds of the genus Buteo, such as the Red-tailed Hawk. The Harris' Hawk can be grouped with broadwings as well, though it is not scientifically classified as a buteo. Old world buzzards (like the Common Buzzard and Honey Buzzard) are also considered broadwings. This group has wings of a medium aspect ratio (in-between shortwings and longwings) and rounded wingtips. Broadwings tend to be open area hunters which may soar in thermals or sit and wait in a high place over a field. They also tend to kill using brute foot force. There are many species of broadwings, 15(?) in North America alone, but only a few are known to be useful birds, even if one includes seldom-used species such as the Red-shouldered hawk.

The most often used broadwings are the Red-tailed and Harris' Hawks. Other broadwings that have been used to varying degrees of success include the Red-shouldered Hawk, the Ferruginous Hawk, the Common Buzzard (?), and the Honey Buzzard(?).

Shortwings

Shortwings include birds of the genus Accipiter, such as the Northern Goshawk. Shortwings are fast forest dwellers, known for their acceleration and stealth. Their wings are short and very round, which helps them to maneuver in their native forest environment; they also tend to have long tails. They tend to kill by repeated footing rather than squeezing.

The most often used shortwing is the Northern Goshawk. In the United States, both the Cooper's Hawk and the Sharp-shinned Hawk are used successfully.

Longwings

Longwings include birds of the genus Falco. Their primary characteristic is their long, pointed wings. They also have a "" tooth, used to sever the spinal cord of their prey; unlike shortwings and broadwings, the feet are not the longwings' primary weapon, instead being employed to hold the prey while the beak is used to kill. Hunting habits vary widely: peregrines usually kill larger game birds from high stoops, while a Merlin ambushes somewhat more like a Cooper's Hawk.

A large variety of longwings are used in falconry, including the Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon, Saker Falcon, Lanner Falcon, Prairie Falcon, Merlin, Common Kestrel, American Kestrel, Aplomado Falcon, and Laggar Falcon.

Hybrids

Techniques for breeding raptors were developed in the 1970's. Since then, a wide variety of raptors -- primarily falcons -- have been hybridized. Oftentimes, what is desired is to have the positive aspects of both species present in the offspring and the vices mitigated. As the hybrids are fertile and can be used to breed further hybridized raptors, purity varies considerably.

Other

Owls are generally not considered to be good falconry birds, owing to what many falconers consider a lack of intelligence. A small number of falconers do train owls, generally imprinted Eurasian Eagle Owls or Great Horned Owls, but these owls have not developed a reputation for success as hunting birds.

Fishing raptors (i.e. Ospreys, Bald Eagles) are generally avoided, as it is generally thought difficult to fish with a raptor without losing it on the other side of the body of water or without it eating the prey in a tree and refusing to come back, and it is not obvious if an Osprey would hunt anything besides fish effectively. However, some have reported success hunting rabbits with Bald Eagles.

Acquisition

Raptors can be acquired either by trapping a wild bird or by procuring a captive-bred bird. Some jurisdictions limit one option or the other; in the U.K., raptors cannot be trapped, and must therefore be acquired through a breeder, while in the U.S., captive breeding of golden eagles is not allowed.

The age a bird is acquired has a strong effect on how it behaves. Birds which are taken when they are very young become "imprinted" on humans, and require a specially-considered approach. Birds taken from the wild before they are fully adult, but after they have left the nest, are referred to as passage. Older-taken birds are referred to as haggards, or hags. The word brancher is used to denote a bird taken after the imprinting period but before it has left the nest. Captive-bred birds may be first exposed to humans in various ways. Again, the youngest become imprinted and are simply called imprints. Older birds raised by their parents may be "parent-raised" or "chamber-raised".

Captive-bred

Raptor breeders in the U.S. only sell to licensed falconers, even in the case of unregulated exotic raptors.

Wild-trapped

Trapping methods vary widely. A common method of trapping Red-tailed Hawks in the United States is with a Bal-Chatri.

One major advantage to a wild-trapped passage bird is that the bird can be released at a later time. Many U.S. states require apprentices to trap passage raptors in order to ensure that the bird can be returned to the wild if the apprentice leaves falconry; a captive-bred or imprinted bird would need to be sent to another falconer or to a rehabilitation facility. Many U.S. falconers will trap a Red-tailed hawk, hunt with it for a number of seasons, often only one, and then release it.

Equipment

Falconers use

Hunting

Hunting with a raptor primarily involves ...

By Region

United States

Squirrel hawking was first ...

Gang hawking

Middle East

???

Europe

???

Japan

???

Mongolia

Mongolia is best known in modern times for its eagle falconry.

Related Pursuits

While not properly falconry, as these do not involve hunting wild quarry, the following activities are almost exclusively done by falconers and tend to involve using trained raptors for pursuits not directly involving hunting.

Breeding

...

Bird Abatement

Raptors are employed to chase pest birds away from airports, landfills, and sometimes parking lots and vineyards.

Sky Trials

Sky trials were the first attempt to add a measurable form of competition to falconry, as a count of game caught is too dependent on uncontrollable factors to be a useful competitive measure. At a sky trial, longwings are sent up into high pitches and pigeons are released underneath them for them to chase. The pigeon is rarely caught; instead, judges use pitch height, the time it takes to get to the pitch, the form of the stoop, and the falcon's responsiveness to the lure (unless the pigeon is caught).

The preeminent event is the Utah Sky Trials. Many other state associations in the U.S. also host sky trials. The practice has recently spread to Europe, where it is claimed the sky trials in Spain have become preeminent.

Races

Very recently, Saudi Arabian falconers have begun to compete in time trial events. Falcons are taught to chase RC airplanes that drag lures. The falcons are then timed in their flight ... (need details)

Legal

Organizations

Archives of falconry

NAFA, state meets

Whoever does the international event

Cultural Significance