My advice: Don’t be intimidated, but don’t be dismissive either. Focus on the traits you can make out: size, shape, overall color or tone, and the manner and cadence of the bird’s wing beats. WSR 10-18-012 (Order 10-214), § 232-30-100, filed 8/20/10, effective 9/20/10.Ĭhapter 220-420 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) State Falconry Regulations supersedes any statement in this document and on this webpage.Birders trained to ID birds by their plumage are typically mystified by their first hawk-watching experience-from a distance, raptors may be near impossible to tell apart. Title 50, Part 21, Subpart C, Section 21.29 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Regulations and authorityįederal and state wildlife agencies are authorized to regulate falconry under the following statutory authorities: Many falconers dedicate their time to educating children and adults, such as scouts and service clubs, about raptors and the need to protect them. USFWS permits are required to breed raptors. Many falconers are involved in raptor breeding and rehabilitation to further the welfare of raptors. Falconers played a large role in the peregrine falcon's comeback from near extinction, and every raptor species used in falconry has stable and increasing populations. Today's falconers are not only sports men and women they are committed conservationists. Laws and regulations govern the numbers and species of birds taken from the wild, how many a falconer may possess, when and how they may be taken, and who may possess them. In the early 1900s, the sport of falconry reached the United States.įalconry is now regulated in the same manner as other forms of hunting. The first time people used raptors for hunting was as early as 2000 B.C. Long before guns, people used birds of prey to obtain fresh meat. Environmental impact studies consistently show falconry has no negative impact on wildlife populations. Falconers get the fledgling bird safely through its first year, and often release it back to the wild in better condition than when they found it. In the wild, about 70 percent of first year birds die. Some birds do leave and some become lost, but the vast majority voluntarily return to their falconer partner.Īdditionally, when wild birds are captured, they are young and in their first year. Falconers sometimes attach tiny radio transmitters on their birds to monitor their location and safety in the field. When falconers fly their raptors, they are free-flying and may leave if they choose. The raptors are athletes and falconers strive to keep their birds in top condition. Falconers know the critical importance of caring for their birds and will assist those whom they feel need help. State and federal regulations, expertise and dedication of falconers, and self-policing by the falconry community keep the birds in high-quality care. Only licensed falconers may have birds of prey, and these birds must be flown freely and hunt regularly. No one under any circumstances may keep a raptor as a pet. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife issues falconry permits, regulates the sport, and remains in contact with the falconry community. Falconry is a demonstration of the predator/prey relationship where people witness and directly participate in nature. Falconry is the art of training raptors (birds of prey - falcons, eagles, hawks, and owls) to hunt in cooperation with a human and is the sport of actively pursuing wild quarry with those birds. Raptors have always held a special place in the lives of humans and training a bird of prey for falconry is to allow it to accept a falconer as a partner in the hunt.įalconry is not for the faint of heart or casual recreationist.
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