Copy of `FalconWatch - Falconry terms`

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FalconWatch - Falconry terms Category: Animals and Nature Date & country: 26/09/2013, UK Words: 21

Winter Over
To spend the winter in a cold place instead of migrating. Many peregrine falcons leave Minnesota in the winter, flying to areas that provide open water in the southern part of North America or to South America. Some, stay in Minnesota over the winter if there's enough open water and food.

Quarry
The bird or prey flown at.

Raptor
A predatory bird.

Scrape
A peregrine nest. Peregrines that nest high on cliff banks use stones and pebbles to prevent their eggs from rolling away.

Talons
The sharp claws of falcons and other raptors. A peregrine uses it talons to knock its prey out of the air and carry it off.

Tiercel
The male falcon.

Pip
To break through the shell of an egg. A baby falcon pips, using its egg tooth, to begin hatching.

Predator
An animal that kills and eats other animals. Peregrines are predators. They hit their prey in flight at speeds up to 250 miles per hour.

Prey
Animals killed and eaten by predators. Typical peregrine prey includes pigeons, starlings, blackbirds, ducks, flickers, and doves.

Migrate
To travel from one climate region to another on a regular basis. Most peregrines migrate to warmer climates in the winter and return to Minnesota in early March.

Pelt
The dead body of any quarry the falcon has killed.

Fledging
A young bird that has learned to fly.

Frounce
(or Avian Trichomoniasis)

Hack
A technique used to prepare the falcon to become an independent hunter by letting it fly freely and feeding it at a hack board or a hack house.

Incubate
To keep eggs warm so that embryos develop and hatch. The adult peregrines incubate the eggs by sitting on them. They also turn the eggs with their beaks from time to time. Incubation extends for 33 days.

Clutch
A batch of eggs or chicks.

Down
The soft fuzz that covers the baby birds before they have feathers. Down, along with the warmth from their parents' bodies, keeps them comfortable. Adults have an under -layer of down and an over-layer of flight feathers.

Egg Tooth
A special hook on the end of a baby bird's bill that helps it break through the egg to hatch.

Eya
A baby falcon in the nest.

Banding
Putting identification bands on birds. When peregrine babies are about 20 days old, environmental scientists put numbered bands on both legs. This helps scientists track the birds and follow their progress over the years.

Chicks
Baby birds of any kind.