Female
Latin name: Parabuteo Unicinctus
Weight: 1020g (2lb 6)
Wingspan: approx. 116cm
Hatch date: May 2017
Erin is one of our Harris hawks here at Falconry Kerry, you may meet her on a private or group experience! She is full of character, she flies daily here, often twice per day.
She is a very independent bird and likely the matriarch among our harris hawks.
She is easily distracted which means she can find us boring sometimes, especially if the falconer is talking too much!
We have to work to keep her entertained and focused on us or she may well decide to go hunting for herself instead.
Fun fact: Harris hawks are often seen hunting together in packs in the wild which has given them the nickname ‘wolves of the sky’
Male
Latin name: Parabuteo Unicinctus
Weight: 680g (1lb 8)
Wingspan: approx. 98cm
Hatch date: March 2018
George is a very keen focused Harris hawk.
He usually flies twice per day for us here. Male Harris hawks are generally more active than females and it is very obvious with George as he cannot seem to sit still for very long at all while out in the flying field.
He has a close bond with the falconers and almost never flies off, in fact we have never had to use the gps tracker to locate George.
Female
Weight: 793g (1lb 12)
Wingspan: approx. 109cm
Hatch date: June 2016
Hannah has been with us since April 2019. She came from Scotland where she used to fly for another falconer there for bird abatement. The sight of a large falcon in the sky is usually enough to deter many flock bird species such as crows/pigeons and seagulls from landing and so it is a great form of natural pest control.
Hannah is likely the fastest of our three falcons. She enjoys the reliability of feeding here and she loves diving and swooping to catch the lure swung by the falconer and often forms a ‘mantle’ over her food reward when she catches it!
Fun fact: the peregrine falcon is the fastest creature on the planet!
Male
Latin name: Falco biarmicus
Weight: 481g (1lb 2)
Wingspan: approx. 97cm
Hatch date: April 2018
Peter is a smaller falcon than Hannah but he is a stunning looking bird. The lanner is noted for being able to reach speeds of over 100mp/h while flying laterally (the peregrine falcon can reach much higher speeds exceeding 200mp/h but only while stooping so gravity helps!)
Peter flies usually once daily. He loves a little bit of wind while he is out, he does not like a flat calm day, he is even likely to sit in a tree for a while if there is no wind, it’s just no fun!
Fun fact: the lanner was once thought to be a subspecies of the peregrine!
Male
Latin name: Aquila nipalensis
Weight: 2270g (5lb)
Wingspan: approx. 6ft
Hatch date: April 2018
The steppe eagle is a Large bulky eagle.
They are a very impressive looking bird sometimes mistaken for the golden eagle, though they are not as large.
They are noted for their sedentary lifestyle, more like a vulture than an eagle in many ways. Khan is a typical example, he will happily sit in the field or on the fence and wait patiently while the falconer talks!
Fun fact: Steppe eagle have the largest gape among eagles, giving them a mean or menacing look!
Male
Latin name: Tyto alba
Weight: 283g (10 ounces)
Wingspan: approx. 87cm
Hatch date: June 2014
Puca is the irish word for ghost and we named him this because of the barn owls importance in folklore and old stories where they were often seen as a magical creature. They do not hoot but shriek instead which can be quite eerie if you did not know it was an owl!
Puca is a chilled out easy-going barn owl, he likes to fly indoors and outdoors but only for a few snacks (he’s not a big guy!)
Fun fact: The barn owl is our most common wild owl in Ireland and the most widespread species of owl in the world!
Female
Latin name: Strix nebulosa
Weight: 1130g (2lb 8)
Wingspan: 128-148cm
Hatch date: May 2019
Liath is our great grey owl. She is a real character. She is semi-imprinted, so she is comfortable around people but does not like dogs.
Great greys are thought to have the best hearing of any owl in the world. It is for this reason they have an extra large ‘facial disc’ to funnel sound to their off-set ears!
Fun fact: The name ‘Liath’ is the Irish word for grey.