Adventures in Poland with Falconry Birds
Malone the Peregrine Falcon
Malone is a young bird still in training. He is a dominant falcon and catches his food in the air during our shows. He was raised by his parents and required taming before meeting the public. He is showing great potential as a key member of our team and will soon be trained to follow a drone high in the sky. A spectacle not to missed.
This true falcon costs approximately 80zl per month to feed and care for, by sponsoring him you provide enough food for a month. 120zl covers food + vitamin supplements, 180zl covers everything we need to give him a comfortable life.
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Appearance
The Peregrine Falcon is a well-respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility, and availability via captive breeding.
The Peregrine falcon is the fastest bird, and in fact the fastest animal on Earth – when in a dive. As it executes this dive, the Peregrine falcon soars to a great height, then dives steeply at speeds of up to 240 miles (386 km) per hour. Its body shape and specially evolved physical characteristics allow it to be able to perform such amazing challenges.
Food
Although its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the peregrine will sometimes hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects. It is particularly interesting during flying displays where we fly this bird to catch a lure often swung in the air by a trained falconer or carried high into the sky by a drone which the falcon pursues to great heights. A combination of historic and modern training techniques are adding to the entertainment value of these special birds.
Habitat
The peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests.
The peregrine is a highly successful example of urban wildlife in much of its range, taking advantage of tall buildings as nest sites and an abundance of prey such as pigeons and ducks. Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations.
How long do Peregrines live?
Wild Peregrine Falcons may live to be 12 to 15 years old but the average is about 6 years. The mortality rate for young falcons is about 60%. This means that approximately 6 out of every 10 falcons hatched will die in its first year of life. In captivity they can live much longer (upto 25 years) due to the special care and attention we give them. In the wild population numbers of the Peregrine Falcon fell from 1950-1970 because of DDT poisoning. the poison made its way into their food sources and caused devastation leading to the bird being added to the endangered species list, however due to more recent conservation attempts and education the populations have been recovering slowly and the birds are now protected.
By donating you...
Help us to educate people in more detail than above with public visits with our birds.
You are helping to protect the future of these birds in the wild as we raise awareness of ways to help their wild populations through conservation.
Please remember that Falcons do not make good pets for inexperienced keepers. They require lots of studying, upkeep costs and correct housing on top of the daily care and attention to allow them a life as close to that of their wild populations as possible.