Falconry Facts

 

Although falconry is now the fastest growing field support, we have lost the true tradition & history of the true sport of falconry, here are a "few" facts I would like to share with you: 

 

• Falconry is the true Sport of Kings practiced by the nobility throughout the ages.

 

• Practiced by many nations for over 4000 years, Falconry is believed to have originated in days gone by as a means to supplement food for the table, prior to the advent of the gun.

 

• Legislated since Norman times, Falconry became a status symbol for many a monarchy.

 

• Persons caught with birds of prey outside their social standing could be severely punished.

 

• With the easy accessibility to firearms at the beginning of the 18th century Falconry slowly faded into obscurity, until there was only a handful left practising this ancient sport.

 

• Ironically the first rifle type gun invented was called a "Musket". A Musket is also the term used to describe a male sparrowhawk, the most common bird of prey in the UK.

 

• Owls are the second least intelligent of ALL birds by virtue of brain size. First are the Ratite's.(The Ratite family consist of the Ostrich, Emu, Rhea, Cassowary & Kiwi.)

 

• With the acquisition of American species such as the Red Tail Hawk & the Harris Hawk falconry started to make a resurgence in the late 70's.

 

• The Harris Hawk is now the most popular bird used in falconry.

 

• The largest bird of prey in the UK is the White Tailed Sea Eagle.

 

• Owls cannot turn their heads completely around and there is no such thing a "Wise" owl and most Owls hunt in the daytime.

 

• The smallest bird of prey in the UK is the Merlin.

 

• The fastest animal on the planet is the Peregrine Falcon which in test conditions has reached a speed of 242mph (387km/h.)

 

• The most widely distributed land based bird, is the Barn Owl found all around our planet except the poles.

  

 

Glossary or Terms used in Falconry

 

Austringer: A trainer of short & broadwinged hawks.

Aylmeri anklets: Leather anklets attached to a trained hawk's legs.

Bate, to: To try to fly when tethered.

Bechins: Tiny pieces of meat.

Bind, to: Describes when a hawk grips the quarry or lure with its feet.

Bird of prey: A bird that hunts primarily with its feet.

Block: A perch usually used for longwings and owls.

Boozer: A falcon or hawk that drinks to excess.

Bow perch: perch usually used for shortwings and broadwings.

Bowsing: Action of a hawk or falcon drinking.

Call off, to: To call a bird from its perch.

Call in, to: To call a bird to the glove or lure.

Carry, to: To try to fly away with prey or lure.

Cast: Two hawks flown together.

Cast, to: To hold down and immobilize a bird by hand.

Cast, to: To regurgitate the undigested pellet of fur or feather.

Casting: An indigestible pellet of fur or feather (& sometimes bone.)

Cast off, to: To propel a bird from a glove to reach flight speed quickly or to get to a pitch.

Cere: The casing of the nostrils above the beak.

Check off, to: To hesitate and refuse prey during flight.

Check at, to: to change prey target during flight.

Condition, in: To be fit and reliable to fly.

Condition, out of: To be unfit and unreliable to fly.

Cope, to: To cut and file the beak or talons.

Ceance: A long piece of string used for training a bird of prey. Derives from French "to reclaim a debt".

Crop: A storage sack in the alimentary canal which precedes the stomach.

Crop up, to: To gorge or to give a good crop, often from prey.

Draw the hood, to: To pull the hood straps (braces) closed

Diurnal: Of the day.

Enter, to: To introduce the bird to prey or something new

Eyass: A young fledgling first year bird

Eyrie: A nest of a bird of prey

Falcon: Used to describe longwings (denotes a female.)

Falconer: Generic term for a trainer of birds of prey, originally longwings.

Feed up, to: To give a full crop of food (see gorge.)

Fed up, to be: To be full gorged and unresponsive to being called in.

Flush, to: To move quarry from its place of hiding, for a hawk or falcon to pursue. 

Flying Weight: The weight a trained hawk returns reliably.

Foot, to: To strike out with the foot.

Footer, good: Describes a hawk that is good with its feet.

Footy: A hawk prone to lash out with its feet.

Follow on, to: To follow the falconer from perch to perch.

Fret-marks: Marks of weakness on a feather due to stress.

Get in, to: To get to the hawk after it has taken prey or lure.

Gorge, to: To eat to capacity.

Haggard: An experienced bird taken from the wild.

Hawk: Generic term used to describe longwings, shortwings and broadwings.

Hawking: Hunting with diurnal birds of prey.

High: Describes a bird which is too heavy to be flown reliably.

Hood: A head cap which covers the eyes of a hawk to relieve stress.

Hood shy: Describes a hawk which tries to avoid wearing the hood.

Hunger Trace: Marks of weakness on a feather caused by lack of food.

Hunting weight: The weight a hawk enters to quarry.

Imp, to: To mend broken feathers with previously moulted feathers.

Jesses: Leather straps attached to the anklets of a hawk.

Keel: The breastbone of a bird.

Keen: Describes an eager hawk .

Leash: Piece of rope used to tether a hawk to its perch.

Low: Describes an underweight hawk.

Lure: Imitation prey used to train and call in a hawk.

Lure, to: To entice the hawk by means of the lure.

Mail: The breast feathers.

Make hawk: An experienced bird used to encourage the training of young birds.

Make in, to: To move in close to a hawk when it is on prey or lure.

Man, to: To "tame" a hawk to accept human prescence .

Mantle, to: To spread the wings while feeding to cover food from other predators veiw (French "to cloak".)

Mark, to: Where a hawk keeps looking, where it can see quarry, but waits for assistance.

Mews: Indoor accommodation for a hawk, originally for moulting.

Mutes: Droppings of birds of prey .

Nocturnal: Of the night.

Petty single: The toe of a hawk.

Pitch: Height a falcon reaches before stooping or height a hawk goes up in the trees.

Pitch, to: To land.

Put in, to: To drive prey into cover.

Put out, to: To drive prey out of cover.

Put over, to: To move food from the crop into the stomach.

Pounces: The talons of a shortwing or broadwing.

Point: The position of prey hiding in cover.

Quarry: Prey a hawk is flown to, or offered.

Rake, to: To fly far from the falconer or the point or try grab food off the glove.

Rangle: Small stones or pebbles hawks & falcons eat to aid crushing food in the crop.

Reclaim, to: To train a hawk after a period of liberty (see also Enseam.)

Refuse, to: To give up or not fly to quarry.

Rouse, to: To shake the feathers.

Serve, to: To find and reveal quarry for a hawk.

Sharp set: Describes an eager hawk.

Shortwing: Of the family Accipiter - or 'True' hawks.

Slip: A flight at quarry.

Slip,to: To release a bird to fly to quarry.

Static display: A display of tethered hawks.

Stoop, to: To tuck in the wings and dive headfirst from a height.

Strike the hood, to: To pull the hood braces open.

Swivel: Metal piece of furniture attached between jesses and leash to prevent entanglement.

Take stand, to: To perch in a tree.

Tether, to: To secure a bird of prey to its perch.

Throw up, to: To fly up after a dive or stoop.

Tiercel: Originally the male peregrine, often describes male falcons

Tercel: The male goshawk .

Tiring: Usually bone with a sparse amount of meat on it, used to work the beak and the neck muscles.

Train: Tail of a hawk or falcon.

Turn tail: To give up in mid flight .

Yarak, in: Describes a hawk in good hunting condition (see also Sharp set.)

Wait on, to: To reach a pitch & wait to be served.

Weather, to: To put birds in the open air.

Weathering-pen: A mesh-fronted covered shelter.

Weathering-ground: An open area to allow birds to weather.

Whistle off, to: To call off a hawk a perch with a whistle.

Whistle on, to: To whistle to a hawk to follow on.