🦅 Other Falconry Birds · 5 min
Names by species and sex
Why this matters
Old falconry names the sexes separately for each species. It is pure memorisation, it appears in several questions, and it takes ten minutes.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Give the traditional name for the male and female of the main falconry species
- Spot the odd one out in a list of sex-specific names
| Species | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Peregrine Falcon | Tiercel | Falcon |
| Gyrfalcon | Jerkin (gyrkin) | Gyrfalcon |
| Merlin | Jack | Merlin |
| Sparrowhawk / Sharp-shin | Musket | Sparrowhawk |
"Tiercel" comes from the male being about a third smaller. Used strictly, it means a male Peregrine; used loosely, any male longwing.
How the exam uses these
It asks you to find the odd one out. Jack, jerkin and tiercel are all falcons; a musket is an accipiter, so it is the one that does not fit. And because a jack is a Merlin and Merlins are true falcons, a jack is the bird in a list least likely to build its own nest, and also the one least likely to nest on a cliff when set against a jerkin, a Golden Eagle and a Prairie Falcon.
Watch for these names appearing where you expect a species name. "The raptor most likely to kill its prey with its powerful grip" offers you a Jack, a Jerkin, a Red-tailed Hawk and a Kestrel: two of those four are falcons wearing a disguise.
This lesson is part of the NY Falconry Exam course. Open it in the course to answer the retrieval checks that go with it, track what you have read, and quiz the whole unit. Lessons, quizzes and the glossary are free.