Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) - "Tegan"

Peregrines are the largest falcon found resident in the UK, females being 1/3 larger than males. Capable of speeds of over 240mph during thier characteristic hunting stoop (high speed dive) making them the fastest living animal on the planet! This iconic bird of prey is also one of the world's most widely distributed birds, found on every continent except Antarctica. Peregrines prefer open landscapes, but are increasingly exploiting towns and cities where there are tall buildings for nesting and plenty of pigeons for prey.
Hatched in 2000. Headstrong & aloof, she knows she is in charge of proceedings.
Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) - "Pee Wee"
"Pee Wee" is the oldest member of the team & was hatched in 1996. This is very old for a Tawny Owl as in the wild they would probably only live until about the age of 5 - 6 years, because of the rigours of survival.
Tawny Owls are the most common owl in the UK. If you are near a woods late at night they are often heard as they are very vocal owls making the famous "twit twoo" call or more accuraitly "ke-wick" "hoo-hoo-oooo" as the male answers the female. Typically, tawny owls occupy a favourite perch in the woodlands, from which they drop on to unsuspecting small mammals, such as voles. Though rarely seen because of their nocturnal habits; however we know they feist on a wide rage prey due to the inedible remains that are regurgitated in the form of a pellet.
European Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) - "Tiny"
"Tiny" is the largest of the flying team & weighs in at a hefty 7 pounds 6 oz. With a 6 foot wingspan, she is a truly formidable sight on the wing. She was hatched in 2001 and could live to the grand age of 60! A wild eagle owl was once seen carrying a Red fox in its talons & they are capable of catching anything up to the size of a small deer!
Handling "Tiny" has always proved popular on experiences & takes some doing. Still found wild in Europe, these owls have been sighted in the Midlands for many years, although they are still not considered to be a British Owl.
Turkmenian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo turcomanus) - "Mr Charlie Custard"
"Mr Charlie Custard" big in posture, tho very simple mind bellowing out kazoo like hoots, he's very much in his own little world. He hatched in 2007; donated to Sussex Falconry after his owner fell ill. Big orange eyes are his best defining feature & he is adored by all who meet him.
Turkmenian Eagle Owls are a slightly smaller subspecies of European Eagle Owl & are also found in various countries in Europe.
Harris Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) - " Bonnie", "Clyde" & "Trigger"

Harris Hawks are the most popular bird of prey used in falconry because they are so intelligent. Living & hunting in cooperative packs in the wild & are commonly known as "Wolves of the Air". Habitats include dry to arid, mainly open country & grasslands with scattered trees such as sparse woodland & semi-desert, as well as marshes. Nesting in small trees, shrubby growth & even on cacti. Found across America, Chile & into Mexico.
Barn Owl (Tyto alba) - "Fidget"
"Fidget" is exactly what his name says, a Fidget! Never stops calling or moving around or talking. "Fidget" was hand reared from the age of 10 days. He was hatched in 2008.
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Contairy to beliefe Barn Owls do not make a "Hoot" sound but rather a shreaking, hissing call. They are the most widely distributed land based bird on the planet & are found everywhere except the poles. Unfortunately Barn Owls are not doing very well in the United Kingdom because of lack of habitat.
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) - "Zazu"

Now the most common bird of prey in the UK, with over 31,000 breeding wild pairs. Buzzards are often spotted soaring at great heights on thermals, moving their wings only to adjust to changing air currents.
Very vocal, "Zazu" was hatched in 2007.
Buzzards are a regular sight across the UK these days & have recovered well from years gone by. Often seen high up on the soar they feed on a variety of things & will readily consume carrion.
Female Red Tail Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) - "Merrick"
A formidable hunting bird from the United States of America, "Merrick" excels at catching Grey Squirrels in woodlands around Sussex.
She was hatched in 1996. Very adaptable they can occupy open plains & woodland. A larger supercharged version of our Common Buzzard, Red Tail Hawks are the most common hawk found in North America. As you can see they get their name from their vibrant Red Tail, which occurs after their first moult.
Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) - "Jeeves"
Jeeves hatched in 2011, donated to us by London Zoo, a little later on in the year.
You may have noticed they have similiar markings to the Tawny Owl. That is because they are from the same "Strix" family, but Ural Owls are considerably larger as they live in much colder climates. Found mainly in Northern Europe & into Siberia.
A very aggrissive owl in the wild doing anything in their power to protect their nest. They feed mainly on small mammals.
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) - "Bing"
Also hatched in 2011, "Bing" is the smallest bird in our collection only standing at 7 inchs tall, with his long legs making up almost half of that!
As his species name suggests these owls burrow in the ground, but often use abandoned rabbit, badger, ground squirrel & prairie dog burrows. Found all across North & South American. They have behaviours patterns very simialer to those of a Meerkat; coming out as a parliment generally by day to hunt for their food; one will aways stay on look out for danger & if spotted will call out a different call depending on what the predator is to alert fellow owls to either get up high, or dash below!
Perlin Falcon (Falco peregrinus columbarius) - "Pearl"
"Pearl" is what is called a hybrid in Falconry. She is a cross between a Peregrine Falcon (the largest UK falcon & a Merlin (the UK's smallest falcon).
This is to all intent a man made bird & this cross would not happen in the wild. Using techniques call AI, some breeders cross different birds to try & get the best qualities out of two (sometimes three) species, that can then be bred into a single bird.
"Pearl" was donated to Sussex Falconry in 2011. She is an extreamly fast moving bird and with her sharp turning speeds, so she can be still be flow in small areans & has much fun darting in and out of the crowd!
Southern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis granti) - "Fenton"
Once known as the African White-faced Scops Owl, but with over 300 different owl species they like to change their names from time to time just to keep us Falconers on our toes. At least that is easier to say than their new Latin name "Ptilopsis granti"!!
"Fenton" was only hatched in 2012, so still has orange eyes, but as he grows older they should turn a deep red. In the wild they can be found in the Savannahs & Open Woodland of South Africa. Feeding on many things such as large insects, arachnids, small mammals & birds

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) - "Gypsy"
Hatched in 2001, Goshawks are one of the UK's rarest bird of prey, with only approximately 410 breeding pairs across the UK. They came to extinction in the UK in the 1900s, but were later reintruduced in the 1960s from Finland to help combat our growing numbers of grey squirrels.
The Goshawk is a "true hawk" unlike the Red Tailed Hawk, this is because it is part of the Accipiter Family a short wing, with a long tail. This is ideal for steering as it flies at speed through the woodlands. They are the larger cousin of the Sparow Hawks that you may of spotted speeding through your gardens, catching birds on feeding stations.
Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) Hierofalcon - "Hyde"
"Hyde" was hatched in 2012. This species breeds from eastern Europe eastwards across Asia to Manchuria. It is mainly migratory except in the southernmost parts of its range, wintering in Ethiopia, the Arabian peninsula, northernPakistan and western China.
As the breeding season commences in spring, males begin to perform spectacular aerial displays as a form of courtship ritual to attract females, calling loudly as they soar over their territories.
Saker Falcons are part of a group of falcons called Hierofalcons. This is a group of four different falcons that are closely related (Lugger, Gyr and Lanner Falcons also join this subgenus.)
Around 130,000 - 115,000 years ago in the late Piacenzian eara there was a global radiation & climate change, which lead to the hybridization of these falcons. The Saker Falcon represents a lineage that expanded out of northeastern Africa into the interior of south eastern Europe and Asia, by way of the eastern Mediterranean region.
African Spotted Eagle-Owl (Bubo africanus) "Zulu"
A medium-sized owl but one of the smallest of the Eagle owls. The facial disc is off-white to pale ochre with large yellow eyes. It has prominent ear tufts and the upper body is dusky brown, with the lower parts being off-white with brown bars.
You can find them in Africa south of the equator, and parts of the Arabian Peninsula across the Savannah, rocky outcrops, scrub, open and semi-open woodland, semi-deserts. Nesting in scrapes on the ground, normally sheltered by a bush, grass or rocks; genrally laying between 2 & 4 eggs. Like the Tawny they will usually hunts from a perch, gliding down to seize prey on the ground, but they have also been known to flush roosting birds from cover and catching them in flight & snatch both large insects & bats out of the air.
"Zulu" was hatched in 2013 but joined us in 2014 as a pre-loved pet, "Zulu" is now very loved owl and coming on exceptionally in the team hooting happily away.
Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) "Diddy"
We always get the question. "What was that bird in my back garden?" Was it a Kestrel or maybe a Peregrine Falcon?
It is more likely to be a Sparrowhawk, the smaller cousin of the Goshawk. These small hawks are like bullets, flying low over hedgerows snatching birds out of the air & even in cover. Predominantly feeding on small birds they have in fact, been recorded to have taken over 120 different species of birds! In addition they will also take small mammals & even bats.
Adult male sparrowhawks have bluish-grey back & wings and orangey-brown bars on their chest and belly. Females and young birds have brown back and wings, and brown bars underneath. Sparrowhawks have bright yellow or orangey eyes, long, yellow legs and long talons. You can see these birds all year round & if your lucky in the early spring you may see a male preforming a 'rollercoaster' flight, climbing up and diving back down again to impress females. In falconry males are known as 'Muskets' & females are know as a 'Spar'
'Diddy' our Spar joined us in February 2014 at only 8 months old with her juvenile plumage.
European Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
"Tinker" & "Belle"
Although tiny the Kestrel is not the smallest species of falcon here in the UK. It is actually second largest to the Peregrine Falcon, followed by the Hobby & then the Merlin, the smallest of our 4 resident falcon species.
As hatchlings they are covered in down white feathers, but as they mature they grow their first true plumage this is mainly light chestnut brown with black speckles on the upperside, black bars across the tail ending with a black tip with a narrow white rim. The underside has a blond buff with lighter with more narrow brownish specks.
Upon their second year Kestrels display sexual colour dimorphism with the males having fewer speckles, as well as a blue-grey cap & tail.
You're most likely to see Kestrels while you're driving about, pointed wings and long tail, hovering about 10 to 20 meters above the roadside verge. Their head fixed on the ground no matter how strong the wind is. What they are fixating on is the urine trails left behind by a rodent as Kestrel are able to see near ultraviolet light which enables them to see these trail & if you’re really lucky you might see them spot something & pull a stoop!
'Tinker' & 'Belle' are our newest babies joining us at 5 weeks old on the 6th of May 2014.
Kissing Kestrels
Kissing Kestrels
Contact Us: 07899 022117 or info@sussexfalconry.co.uk