Medieval birds of prey: How Did Knights Hunt With Birds of Prey?

you're pretty much getting a bird and saying 'hey, if you stick around you can chill out here and then go hunt sometimes and you will get food regularly and reliably' and the bird goes 'that sounds pretty chill i guess i'll stick around'

"Wild peregrins have been found to taken down brown pelicans at 5 times their weight" I have a new respect for this bird. I knew they could catch larger prey than themselves, but not that much larger.

- That guy running around the yard, flapping his arms and yelling "kiiyah"...? - Oh, him... He tried to man a bird by keeping it awake, but the bird had a higher tolerance for sleep deprivation, so he became birded instead...

Your guests are always exceptionally gifted and knowledgeable like your falconer expert Ruth is. You ask really interesting questions. Thoroughly enjoyable as always.

There's a fabulous memoir I started reading and will eventually finish, of how a man, with one encounter with a Kestrel, changed his life and navigated him to an amazing career in Falconry. The book is called "No way but Gentlenesse" by Hines. Highly recommend for anyone interested in falconry. 😁

If you watch slo-mo of a raptor striking prey, you see that it's not just the speed of impact - but the bird delivers a punch with it's feet at the same moment. Awesome choreography of movement.

It's like the original history channel. Really missed this- thanks for making it!

I love how this channel not only helps you appreciate the work of the knights themselves, but also their support network of specialists who help keep everything running

I had chickens that turned out to be far better at training me than I was them. They cracked their eyelids open 20 minutes before dawn and started screaming for a cooked breakfast shortly after. I dread to think what one of these apex predators would have me trained to do in short order. Birds are highly food motivated creatures and very vocal. Never forget that.

They were also great at carrying hobbits out of intractable situations.

Picking the bird for a hunt I feel would be quite like choosing what firearm/ammo to use today

Good discussion about the difference between tame and domesticated, and how hunting birds are very much not domesticated.

Such an interesting discussion and beautifully filmed. Love these films, thank you.

A mistake that I keep seeing in films set in the Middle Ages is knights flying Harris's hawks (a couple make a few appearances in this video). Harris' hawks - like the Red-tailed hawk on Ruth's fist - are New World birds, and so would have been unknown in Medieval Europe.

The low country, the Netherlands? Wow, I didn't know my country had renowned suppliers of these magnificent birds. Had the opportunity to have held the saker falcon and barn owl from an acquaintance who's a falconer. Had a Victorian fotoshoot with them. Being so close and holding them was so wonderful, I was awestruck. Such graceful yet dangerous creatures. It was an amazing experience I'll never forget, but knowing it's also a big part of my country's history makes it even more special somehow. :)

The thing about birds is they watch everything, they have a razor focus. I grew up around cockatoos and macaws and it's fascinating to watch them anaylizing an object. They're always suspicious of new things and will pretend to ignore them all the while closely watching. Then it's turning over, picking up, seeing how things are attached. They like to take things apart, always drawn to the moving parts rather than the larger pieces. Hinges, locks, articulations are all sources of facination for a bird, especially if they create a reaction when manipulated. The bigger a bird is, the smarter and stronger their will. They can be incredibly difficult to train but the payoff is a very intelligent companion. I'm a dog guy but I still find birds to be very interesting.

Thank you for your doing these videos

Awesome a always! Also, Ruth is wearing a Critical Role pin on her hat. That is extra awesome.

This video needed to be three times as long, wonderful!!

Very interesting and my cat enjoyed watching this too.