Captive Animals

Captive Bird of Prey Falconry Welfare

Falconry involves the training and hunting use of raptors under conditions that range from excellent welfare with appropriate husbandry to serious welfare compromise from inadequate housing, overweight management, and training stress.

Key Facts

Traditional falconry maintains birds at low flying weight through controlled feeding
Birds that are underweight for too long experience muscle loss and compromised immune function
Mews housing that prevents free movement causes foot problems and feather damage
Well-practiced falconry with appropriate hunting exercise and social housing meets raptor behavioral needs
Wild-caught falconry birds face capture stress and a more difficult behavioral adaptation than captive-bred individuals

Welfare Considerations

Falconry welfare quality varies enormously between practitioners. At its best, falconry provides raptors with exercise, environmental complexity, and a relationship with a skilled handler that meets their behavioral and nutritional needs. At its worst, it involves birds kept in barren mews at chronically low weights with inadequate exercise. The welfare difference between these extremes depends entirely on the knowledge, time, and commitment of the individual falconer.

What You Can Do

Support falconry organizations that maintain and enforce welfare standards for members
Advocate for licensing requirements that include demonstrated welfare knowledge
Raise awareness about the welfare variation in falconry practice
Support wild raptor conservation alongside licensed captive management
Donate to raptor welfare research on husbandry standards and welfare assessment