ABSTRACT
Falconry, or hawking, is the hunting of birds or mammals with trained birds of prey, and is considered to be an art with ancient origins in the Middle East. Only a few species of raptorial bird are suitable for falconry as they must have a naturally aggressive hunting style. In some parts of the world, such as Central Asia and Kazahkhstan, golden eagles may be used to hunt fur-bearing animals like foxes, but traditional falconry uses the short-winged goshawks and sparrow-hawks, best suited for hunting in woods, and the long-winged falcons, principally the peregrine, the gyrfalcon, the saker and the merlin. The latter high-fl ying birds hunt exclusively in open areas, often attacking with a downward dive (stoop) at breathtaking speeds in excess of 290km per hour, stunning or killing their prey by hitting them with their feet or chest. However, unlike their Western counterparts, Arab falconers do not hunt their birds with downward dives but from the fi st in a tail-chase pursuit. On the ground surviving prey are dispatched with an effi cient bite to the neck that severs the spinal cord using a special tooth-like projection on the falcon’s upper mandible. The long-winged falcons are favoured by Arab falconers in the pursuit of an art that represents links with a way of life that has changed in the upheavals of massive social and economic change.
