What Are Birds of Prey and How Are They Used in Falconry?

Birds of prey, or raptors, are carnivorous birds that hunt with their feet and beaks—falcons, hawks, eagles, and owls are the main groups. In falconry, a trained raptor is flown at wild quarry, and the bird's role is to pursue and catch game that the falconer flushes. If you are trying to understand the sport before getting involved, the practical starting point is species choice and where the bird comes from, because those two decisions shape everything that follows.

What counts as a bird of prey

A raptor is built for hunting: keen eyesight, a hooked beak for tearing, and strong talons for seizing. The groups most relevant to falconry are:

• Falcons — fast, long-winged pursuit hunters. Peregrines and Gyrfalcons are the classic examples.
• Hawks and accipiters — short-winged, agile birds suited to woodland and close cover. Goshawks are the best-known accipiter in falconry.
• Eagles — large, powerful raptors. Golden Eagles are used in falconry, though they demand far more space, time, and experience than most birds.
• Owls — raptors too, but used in falconry much less commonly than falcons, hawks, or eagles.

How raptors are used in falconry

Falconry is a hunting sport, not a display of trained birds. The falconer works the field or sky to put the bird in a position to chase quarry, and the bird does the catching. Two broad styles dominate:

• Longwing flying — falcons are flown from a distance and stoop at quarry such as gamebirds. This suits open country.
• Shortwing flying — hawks and accipiters are flown from the fist or followed through cover, hunting rabbits, squirrels, and birds at close range.

The bird is not a pet and is not meant to be one. It is a working hunter that is conditioned, fed, and handled so it will fly free and return.

How falconers train and care for birds of prey

Training rests on weight management, trust, and repetition rather than force. The general sequence is:

1. Manning — accustoming the bird to people, handling, and everyday sights and sounds.
2. Recall and lure work — teaching the bird to come to the falconer or a lure for food, which is the foundation of flying free.
3. Conditioning — building fitness and adjusting the bird's weight so it is motivated to hunt but not weakened.
4. Entering to quarry — introducing the bird to the species it will hunt, gradually and under control.

Care covers housing (weathering area or mews), a balanced diet of appropriate meat, and daily attention to health, feet, and feathers. A bird that is poorly housed or badly fed will not fly well, and the falconer's routine is built around preventing that.

Why breeding and sourcing matter

A falconry bird's origin affects its health, its suitability for the sport, and the legality of keeping it. Responsible breeders produce birds with known parentage and raise them in conditions that support good health and temperament. Vila Falco, a breeding centre in Portugal supervised by Eduardo Cabral, describes itself as a group of falconers breeding raptors to sustain the sport, and lists its breeding stock as:

That list is a useful illustration of how specific falconry breeding is: it is not "a hawk" or "a falcon," but named subspecies, each with its own origin and characteristics. When choosing a source, ask what species and subspecies the bird is, how it was raised, and whether the paperwork matches your local rules—captive-bred status and permits vary by country, and the breeder is the person who can tell you what applies to their birds.

Species you will see in falconry

• Peregrine Falcon — the archetypal longwing; fast, dramatic, and demanding.
• Gyrfalcon — the largest falcon, suited to experienced falconers and cold-climate quarry.
• Goshawk — the classic shortwing for woodland hunting; powerful and highly strung.
• Golden Eagle — used in falconry, but a serious commitment in space, quarry, and skill.

If you are new to the sport, the realistic path is to learn under an experienced falconer before acquiring a bird, and to choose a species that matches your local quarry, your available time, and your local regulations. The bird's welfare and the legality of your setup come before any question of which species looks best.