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falconry
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: falconry
Falconryfôl'kənrē, fô'–, făl'–, sport of hunting birds or small animals with falcons or other types of hawks; eagles are used in some parts of the world. It was known to the ancient Chinese, Persians, and Egyptians. Falconry probably spread from Asia to Eastern Europe and then to Western Europe. It became one of the chief sports of royalty and the nobility and attained its greatest popularity in late medieval and early modern Europe. After the 17th cent., falconry declined, and subsequent revivals never brought it into the favor it once enjoyed. It has limited popularity in W Europe, S Asia, and Japan. Falconry has never been very popular in the United States, largely because the laws of many states prohibit the employment of hawks to kill game. The birds, usually peregrine falcons, employed by falconers are taken when young from their nests. They are subjected to a rigorous course of training, in which they learn to fly, when released, at the quarry; to leave the prey untouched after killing it; and to sit quietly, when hooded, on the falconer's wrist.

See F. Illingworth, Falcons and Falconry (2d ed. 1964); F. Beebe, A Falconry Manual (1984); P. Glasier, Falconry and Hawking (3d ed. 1998).

The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

Wikipedia search results for: Falconry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Falconry or hawking is a sport which involves the use of trained raptors to hunt or pursue game for humans. There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle. In modern falconry the Red-tailed Hawk and the Harris hawk are often used. The words "hawking" and "hawker" have become used so much to mean petty traveling traders, that the terms "falconer" and "falconry" now apply to all use of trained birds of prey to catch game. Some views of falconry state that the art started in Mesopotamia, but some say that it started in the Far East. The earliest...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: falconry
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    Falcon, common name for members of the Falconidae, a heterogeneous family of long-winged birds of prey closely related to the hawk. Falcons (genus Falco) range in size from the 61/2-in. (16.5-...

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    Hunting, act of seeking, following, and killing wild animals for consumption or display. It differs from fishing in that it involves only land animals. Hunting was a necessary activity of earl...

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    Sports, athletic games or tests of skill undertaken primarily for the diversion of those who take part or those who observe them. The range is great; usually, however, the term is restricted t...

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