Off topic: falcons as consumables

[David Rees <>]

The word 'falcon' is well understood by the worldwide English-speaking community. The usual English word for the activity these birds are kept for is 'falconry' after all!!  True, use of 'Birds of prey' to describe a 'functional group' has a place, even though it consists of two quite separate groups of birds, same with 'Vultures' - given the differences between 'new world' and 'old world' sorts.  

On Thu, Feb 2, 2017 at 9:25 AM, Philip Veerman <> wrote:

Nothing unusual about the ignorant or people writing for the ignorant – or even the ordinary non expert person, referring to 'falcon hawks' as on the basis that most people in the world would not know what a “falcon” is. As for Falcons and Hawks as we now know are quite unrelated!  Well may be so but that is a recent technicality that hardly anyone knows. There is a vast amount of books and literature about “birds of prey” etc that refer to them as one group. They may have different origins but that is hardly common knowledge but they functionally and ecologically are entirely reasonable to consider together.

 

Philip

 

From: David Rees [
Sent: Thursday, 2 February, 2017 7:36 AM
To: Con Boekel
Cc: canberrabirds chatline
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Off topic: falcons as consumables

 

Interesting that the Guardian used the words 'falcon hawks' - Falcons and Hawks as we now know are quite unrelated!  Look like Saker Falcons to me - wonder if they were captive bred?, as they are declining in the wild.

 

David

 

On Thu, Feb 2, 2017 at 6:40 AM, Con Boekel <> wrote:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2017/feb/01/500-a-bird-how-falcons-get-first-class-airline-treatment