At Nature Camp, I had the immense pleasure to meet Gucci, a 19 week-old falcon and his owner/handler, Corey Basham. Corey purchased Gucci for use in falconry, which is an ancient method of hunting using a trained bird-of-prey such as a falcon or hawk.
Early evidence of falconry has been found in Mongolia, Iran and elsewhere in the middle east between 4,000 and 6,000 BC. Some experts claim the practice is even older, but by 2,000 BC it was a well established hunting method. Thousands of people in the United States continue this practice today.
As part of this year's adult session at Nature Camp, Corey offered several demonstrations and educational sessions with Gucci and was very generous in answering questions for this blog. (Thank you Corey!)
Q: What kind of Falcon is Gucci?
A: Gucci is a captive born hybrid mix of gyrfalcon and saker falcon, mostly Gyrfalcon. The saker falcon hybridization is to give her more tolerance of hot weather, as the faker falcon comes from the middle east. Gyrfalcons can be found in much of Canada and the northern US. She is fertile and able to reproduce.
Here are a few fun facts about Gyrfalcons, Falco rusticolus:
- Gyr falcons are the largest true falcon in the world.
- They can fly up to 68 miles per hour!
- In captivity, Gyrfalcons can live over 20 years.
- Falcons roost on cliffs and make a low-effort nest called a scrape, because it is usually just scraping rocks together. They may also use abandoned nests built by other species.
Q: Can you tell us a bit more about Gucci?
A: Falcons are primarily bird predators, so I will use her to hunt ducks once she is fully trained. She can see a duck over a mile away, and reach speeds of 100 miles per hour when attacking. If she strikes the duck, she will close her feet to make fists that will stun the duck. She may also bind to a duck in flight and bring it down to the ground. Hunts happen in the winter, during the summer I do educational programming with Gucci. I feed her quail, chicks, and mice.
She currently weighs around 1200 grams, just over 2.5lbs.
When traveling, she wears a hood (pictured below) which helps her feel calm. During the day, Gucci is tethered to her perch outside, unhooded, and is subject to the elements. It’s important that she gets sun and rain to maintain her health and hygiene.
Q: Have you had other birds?
A: Right now I have a barn owl that was raised by another falconer after being found when it was too young to care for itself. I plan to release the owl to the wild after it has proven that it is able to hunt on its own. In the past I have had red tailed hawks, a harris hawk, and American kestrels. Licensed falconers are allowed to capture up to 2 birds-of-prey per year from the wild, although there are rules about what species are allowed to be captured and it is rare that falconers take more than 1 bird a year from the wild, if that many. If a wild bird is captured for falconry it must be less than a year old or it is released immediately as required by law. I released a red tailed hawk after working with her for 3 years, and I’ve had others for only 1 year.
Q: How do you feel about her, and do you ever struggle with the ethics of the activity?
A: I see her as a working animal, not as a pet. I will keep her and work with her until she is no longer able to work, and then she will go to a propagation center to take part in a breeding program or she will be donated to an educational organization that can care for her. She is not releasable because she is a captive born falcon.
Falcons can work for over 10 years. I do consider the ethics of keeping a bird-of-prey captive and consistently ask myself if what I’m doing with these birds is sustainable for the species involved and if it seems enjoyable in the long run for the individual bird as well.
Gyrfalcons are not a social species, and generally after she eats she is content to just sit and enjoy the day. She does not display any signs of distress or exhibit any self-destructive behaviors and usually seems quite relaxed and content. When a falcon is comfortable it will display behaviors such as rousing, which is when they fluff up all their feathers and shake them into place (it is quite cute).
She is safe from predators, she is fed consistently, she gets regular exercise and once fully trained she will be able to hunt as she would in the wild. It's better than the zoo - it would be like taking a lion to the savannah 3-5 times per week so they could hunt. Falconry has taught me that some things cannot be learned from books - you need patience and experience working with an animal like this.
Q: How can people interested in this topic learn more?
A: Folks interested in falconry should contact their state falconry association and research the many texts regarding falconry in general. I recommend As The Falcon Her Bells by Phillip Glasier for an enjoyable read overall that contains some technical details and an overall good description of training and hunting with these birds.
If you are interested in becoming a falconer, by law you need to do a 2-year apprenticeship and get a license before you can own a bird-of-prey. This website has more information for people interested in becoming a falconer.
Sources:
Corey Basham
https://www.n-a-f-a.com/page/What_is_Falconry
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/raptor-force-history-of-falconry/
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