Photo: Loz Pycock (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Job description
Daily care matters as much as flying itself: falconers feed and monitor each bird's weight and health to keep it at the exact condition needed for reliable flying, and maintain the mews, perches, and gear (jesses, hoods, gloves) the work depends on. Commercial applications like clearing nuisance birds from airports, landfills, or vineyards raise the stakes considerably, since a bird that doesn't return or gets lost during a free flight, tracked with telemetry equipment, is both a financial and welfare problem. It's a small field built almost entirely around one requirement: a state falconry license earned through an apprenticeship of at least two years under a licensed sponsor, among the longest apprenticeships required of any hobby-turned-career. Work happens largely outdoors across fields, woods, or airport perimeters in all weather, in close physical contact with birds whose talons and beaks can injure if mishandled.
Pros
- Highly specialized, hands-on work training and flying birds of prey
- Applies in varied settings: pest control, education programs, airport bird abatement
- No traditional college degree needed, just a state falconry license and apprenticeship
Cons
- Requires a lengthy apprenticeship of at least two years before licensure
- Entry-level pay is low, and the field's ceiling stays modest at $60k
- Real risk of injury from talons and beaks, plus the risk of losing a bird
A typical day
Dawn is feeding and weighing: each hawk steps to the glove and onto a scale, because a bird's flying weight is managed to the gram. Mid-morning is an abatement job at a landfill, flying a Harris's hawk in sweeps that convince the gulls this territory is unsafe — no birds harmed, just persuaded. The afternoon holds a school program, where a red-tailed hawk on the glove does more for raptor conservation than any slideshow. Evenings mean mews cleaning, equipment repair, and training notes, because the birds' condition is the whole business.
Tasks at the job
- Train birds of prey using operant conditioning to hunt, respond to commands, or perform in demonstrations.
- Feed and monitor the health and weight of each bird to keep them at optimal flying condition.
- Handle and fly birds outdoors for hunting, pest control, or educational programs.
- Maintain and clean mews, perches, and equipment such as jesses, hoods, and gloves.
- Track and recover birds during free flights using telemetry equipment.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens largely outdoors across open fields, woods, or airport perimeters in all weather, working in close physical contact with birds whose talons and beaks can injure if mishandled.
The work demands patience and closely observed routine, since a bird's weight and condition must be tracked daily to keep it responsive and healthy. Flying sessions carry real risk of losing a bird or having it fail to return, and stakes rise considerably in commercial applications like airport bird abatement.
Education necessary or common
A state falconry license, which requires an apprenticeship of at least two years under a licensed sponsor -- one of the longest apprenticeships required of any hobby-turned-career
Licenses & certifications
- State falconry license (apprentice, then general, then master class)
- Federal abatement permits for commercial bird-control work
- USDA/state exhibitor permits for education programs
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- AP Biology — raptor health, behavior, and ecology start here
- AP Environmental Science — wildlife law and ecosystems context
- Psychology — operant conditioning is the training method, literally
- Public Speaking — education programs pay many falconers' bills
- Business — abatement and education work is self-employment
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Volunteer at a raptor rehabilitation center or nature center — the single best entry
- 4-H or FFA — animal husbandry discipline
- Birding club or local Audubon chapter youth programs
- A daily animal-care responsibility you never skip
First steps you can take now
- Read your state's falconry regulations — apprenticeship (typically 2 years under a sponsor) starts the path, and some states allow apprentices at 12-16
- Volunteer at a raptor rehab or education center this month
- Attend a state falconry association field meet and talk to falconers
- Study for the state falconry exam using your state association's guide
