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HARRIS HAWKS (Parabuteo unicinctus)
Harris Hawks are brilliant birds of prey with a wingspan of approximately 120 cm, they are comparatively
easy to train, friendly ( always a bonus) with a great temperament and a good personality.
They are more than capable of taking Rabbit, Hare, Pheasant and the like when hunted, and are even able
to be hunted in groups, as in the wild these birds are very sociable and hunt in family groups.
Some people regard Harris Hawks as a ‘’beginners bird’’ as they are easy to train and hard, but NOT impossible
to loose. Personally I disagree with this, the Harris Hawk may be easier to train than some other birds used
in Falconry but nobody said it had to be hard You wouldn’t get rid of your dog just because he was easy to train
would you, so why get rid of a bird that if trained properly can hunt just about anything (within reason) and will
come looking for you if it gets lost? sounds like a great bird to me, so why people start with a Harris then quickly
want to sell it and move onto something ‘’better’’ is beyond me. ( Sorry rant over)
SAKER FALCONS (Falco cherrug)
The Saker is the second largest Falcon in the world smaller in size only to the Gyr Falcon, it has a wing span of
approximately 105 cm -129 cm . Traditionally the Saker was used alongside the Saluki , a kind of desert greyhound,
to hunt Houbara a desert dwelling bird similar to a Heron so they have no problem taking Pheasant and are just as
happy, some of them more so, taking Rabbit and Hare.
If you want a Falcon but don’t have access to vast area’s of ‘’Grouse Land’’ then the Saker could be what you are
looking for.
Sakers come in various colours or phases from black to almost white, ours are the latter being very pale birds and
stunning to look at.
LANNER FALCONS (Falco biarmicus)
The Lanner Falcon comes from Africa and South East Asia, it is a fairly large bird with a wingspan of approximately
95 cm -105 cm and has blueish grey upperparts with a pale streaked underside. Lanners have a great nature and
personality making them an ideal ‘first falcon’ They have large tails with relatively low wing loading making them
exceptionally manouverable and an ideal display bird, the Lanner is one of the few raptors that at times will attack
prey head on.
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