My favorite animal happens to be the hawk, although the
falcon is a close second. Birds of prey
fascinate me. I find myself stopping my
car often to take pictures of hawks that I see in the wild. Hunting with raptors is believed to have been
initiated in Mesopotamia as early as 2000 BC.
Falconry is believed to have been introduced to Europe around 400 AD.
Falconry is an art that requires long hours, devotion, and
skill. Training a bird to fly free, hunt
for quarry, and return to captivity isn’t easy and there are texts dating back
as far as the 12th century that cover the subject. Birds of prey were one of the most
sophisticated and sought after means of hunting for food. (A European Goshawk can catch up to 20 game
birds a day. Hares and pheasants are the
game often taken by raptors.)
Falconry became a popular sport and a symbol of status among
the nobles of Medieval Europe, the Middle East, and the Mongolian Empire. The reason falconry became a noble pursuit
was due to the time commitment, money, and space needed to house the raptors. Falconry became a status symbol long after the
practice fell out of favor. The richest
nobles were expected to keep a full falconry, with different birds meant to
hunt different kinds of prey.
In the 14th century, falconry was so widespread
that inns provided perches for the birds of prey to sit, since some falconers did
not wish to part from their raptors. A
good falconer was hard to find and noble households likely partook in bidding
wars to gain the best services. Henri
VIII was known as an avid falconer and his falconry mews were claimed to be
larger than his stables. Mary Queen of
Scots had loved to fly merlins.
Shakespeare also tended to like fitting falconry into his plays. Raptors were often given as gifts to kings. This gift was usually the Gyrfalcons, for
they were the most costly.
According to The Boke
of St. Albans’ in the 15th century, different raptors were
assigned to people of different ranks in society. A person could not fly a bird of higher rank
than them. The hierarchy seems to have evolved
around the price of the raptors and it is not known if this list was strictly
followed.
Emperor -
Eagle or Vulture (FYI, vultures were not used in falconry and yet they are on
this list, I assume this is because they are considered a bird of prey)
King- Gyrfalcon
Prince -
Peregrine Falcon
Duke -
Falcon of the Rock (another name for Peregrine)
Knight -
Saker or Sakeret
Squire -
Lanner or Lanneret
Lady -
Merlin
Youngman -
Hobby
Yeoman -
Goshawk
Priest -
Sparrowhawk
Holywater
Clerk - Musket
Knave/
Servant - Kestrel
In England, falconry reached its peak in the 17th
century, but loss favor in 18th and 19th centuries due to
firearms becoming the weapon of choice. It
was much easier to look after a gun than a raptor and the gun provided more
food. Although the UK did see a rise of
interest in falconry during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries, this was believed to be the result of a large number of falconry
books published at the time.
In 1801, Joseph Strutt of England wrote, “the ladies not
only accompanied the gentlemen in pursuit of the diversion (falconry), but
often practiced it by themselves; and even excelled the men in knowledge and
exercise of the art.” Seems the ladies of
the Regency Period may have been bird whisperers. A lady’s bird of choice was usually the
merlin, a small falcon.
Although, I’d love to own a hawk or a falcon, I’m happiest
when I see them flying high above my head and when I have my camera in hand. Currently, there are an estimated 4,000
falconers in the US, with roughly 5,000 birds.
Falconry, nowadays, refers to anyone who flies a bird of prey. The Harris Hawk is used often today, since
this species flies in groups, allowing falconers to fly several at a time. Falconry is also known as hawking.
A special thank you to Joseph Strutt, Sports and Pastimes of the People of England.
