About the birds

The peregrine falcon's technique of hunting is to climb to a high pitch, then stoop at incredible speeds of up to 200 miles per hour! It has two techniques of attack: one is a hard, knock-down blow which causes injury to the prey, the second is a 'bind to', usually taken into the wind so it can control its attack at the quarry.

The kestrel is often seen hovering at the side of motorways or farmland and is our most common falcon. The kestrel's method of hunting is to hover with its head kept still, looking down for rodents or insects. It will take up to blackbird size prey in the breeding season to feed its young.

The merlin is the smallest falcon, which lives on the high moor and nests on the ground. The merlin's method of hunting is a straight pursuit, high speed chase, sometimes ringing up high into the sky after larks and pippets; as well as feeding on small moorland birds.

Hawks differ from falcons as they have rounded wings. They hunt by pursuing their prey in woodland and crashing into the undergrowth with short, fast bursts of flight to catch their prey. Hawks indigenous to this country are sparrowhawks and the goshawk, which is a mighty predator, taking numerous types of quarry from rabbit to pheasant. 

Harris hawks are used extensively for display and hunting. Natives to the west of America and the deserts of Mexico, they are highly intelligent birds and very sociable with humans and each other. They breed easily in captivity and have an excellent temperament for beginners to learn about falconry. Easily trained, they will take a variety of prey from fur to feather, such as rabbit and hare to pheasant and duck.