Novice gyrfalcons cut straight to the kill on maiden flight

Prized for their rarity during the Middle Ages and designated the bird of kings by medieval gentlemen, gyrfalcons may even have instigated the downfall of a Chinese empire, thanks to its demand for the merciless hunters. Gyrfalcons carry a majestic cachet, yet it wasn’t clear whether these masters of the air are unique or use the same interception strategy as other falcons when closing in for the kill; they rarely swoop from spectacular heights to intercept prey like their smaller cousin, the peregrine falcon. According to Caroline Brighton from the University of Oxford, UK, ‘Wild gyrfalcons are most often recorded performing low surprise attacks initiated from a perch or from ridge soaring’. Knowing that Harris’ hawks hound their victim from behind, Brighton and her colleagues, Katherine Chapman (University of Oxford), Nicholas Fox (Wingbeat Ltd) and Graham Taylor (University of Oxford) wondered whether gyrfalcons use a hawk-like strategy, where they directly follow every twist and turn of their prey, or apply their peregrine cousin’s strategy, cutting the corner off their approach and aiming ahead of their prey to intercept it. Puzzled by the mystery of the regal raptors, the team decided to investigate how novice gyrfalcons that had never pursued prey before tackled the interception challenge.