A talon for the job

Ed Cook looks at the different kinds of birds of prey that can be used to catch rabbits

- Ed Cook

Rabbits are prey to a long list of predators: foxes, badgers, cats, stoats. Rabbits also play an important role in a bird of prey’s diet in the wild, but what ‘make’ of bird or hawk do people use in falconry to hunt it?

The breeds

Birds of prey in the falconry world come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, many of which will catch rabbits if employed correctly with patience and care. The three main breeds of bird that people favour are the Harris hawk, the red-tailed hawk and the goshawk. I have been lucky to see some really good specimens hunt rabbit to good effect in a variety of habitats from open downland, bramble-filled woodland and reedbeds.