Raptors kept in falconry face specific welfare challenges related to tethering, diet management, and the stress of human conditioning, while rehabilitation raptors require careful management to preserve flight capacity and wild survival skills.
Raptor welfare in both falconry and rehabilitation contexts requires specific knowledge of species behavioral ecology. The welfare cost of tethering is real — raptors evolved for active flight and perch-to-perch movement, and restriction limits this fundamental behavioral drive. Whether falconry birds have adequate welfare depends almost entirely on the knowledge and commitment of the falconer: birds that are flown regularly, maintained at appropriate weight, and given adequate perching variety have significantly better welfare than birds tethered continuously with insufficient exercise. Rehabilitation raptors present a different challenge: the welfare of the captive period must be managed to maximize release probability while minimizing behavioral imprinting that would compromise survival.