FALCON FAMILY (Falconidae): Nobility (3)

Falcons and humans have had a long and complex history together. In Ancient Egypt, Horus, the God of Life, was represented by Peregrine Falcon. For the Greeks, Falcons were the messengers of Apollo. In Peru, the Gods of Creation were born from the eggs of falcons. Meanwhile, Crested Caracara became the National Bird of Mexico.


In addition, peoples worldwide hunted with Falcons. Lanner Falcons, large bold Birds, are favoured by people in Arabia and the Middle East. Meanwhile, a tax on Gyrfalcons in Ancient China resulted in the down fall of an emperor by his falcon-flying nobles. In Japan, falconry was considered a noble art, with game preserves reserved for that purpose.

For Europeans, “Book of Saint Albans” (1486) listed who was permitted to hunt with what Falcon. Princes could only hunt using Peregrines, Ladies Merlins, and Knaves Kestrels. Because of Gyrfalcons’ eminence and power among Falcons, only Kings could fly Them.

However in later years, landowners and gamekeepers killed Falcons as pests. Farmers also poisoned Them for preying on their small Animals. Finally, the overuse of DDT destroyed many Falcon eggs. All these factors caused the numbers of Falcons to crash everywhere.

Then people worldwide rallied to save Falcons. Aware of the problems that DDT caused, conservationists worked to regulate its use. They also sought to reintroduce the Falcon populations into areas where They formerly were.

One notable success in the return of Falcons to the wild is the Mauritius Kestrel. In 1974, only six remained in the world. Through the efforts of many people, by 1992, 250 birds were returned to the wild. Conservationists had developed a captive breeding program to save these Birds. In addition, the government of Mauritius increased the size of their reserves for their Kestrel to live in.

Falcons exude authority, quickness, and fierceness: all qualities of nobility. By their very presence, They inspire us all do noble acts. Man and Falcon together is a glorious sight. Each works with the other to achieve great things. In Ancient Egypt, Horus, the Lord of Light, had a body of a man and a head of a falcon. With the help of Falcons, let us aspire to be noble in both our thoughts and deeds.