Best First Bird of Prey: Owl or Hawk?
Two very different birds of prey live on this farm in west Cornwall. Here is what each one asks of a beginner, and which of them we would put on a new falconer’s fist.
What is the best first bird of prey for an apprentice falconer?
For most apprentice falconers the red-tailed hawk is the best first bird of prey. It is heavy enough to forgive an error in flying weight, and it takes the regular flying that the British Falconers’ Club welfare code expects. A southern white-faced owl is gentler to hold, but its weight margins are far tighter.
Choosing your first bird is the decision that shapes every other one, and it is easy to make it on looks alone. What actually matters is the husbandry: the space, the daily weighing, the feeding, and whether you want to hunt at the end of it. Both of the birds below live here, so what follows is what they are like to keep rather than what they are like to admire.
In this video Isla puts two entirely distinct species head-to-head: the majestic, powerful American Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and the compact, charming African Southern White-Faced Owl (Ptilopsis granti). Both species capture the imagination, but they demand very different amounts of space, early imprinting, and physical capability from a beginner handler.
Chesney on his block perch indoors. Juvenile plumage, before the red tail comes through.
Why does an owl come to you at two weeks and a hawk does not?
One of the biggest practical differences between the two is the specific age at which the bird must be acquired. For a Southern White-Faced Owl, human imprinting begins at just a few days old. As detailed in our foundational cute owls training journal, owl babies must be hand-reared from as early as two weeks old. This focused socialisation forms a deep maternal bond where the owl thinks of you as its parent, keeping them calm, content, and highly trusting in your presence.
Raptors like the Red-Tailed Hawk require the exact opposite approach. Falconers rarely raise hawks from early downy stages, because doing so risks "screamer" behaviour or severe food aggression if they identify you as their mother. Instead they are taken on after they are fully fledged. Allowing you to develop a professional training partnership based strictly on food reward rather than artificial imprinting. Beginners can read more about standard care and sportsmanship guidelines through the officially recognised welfare resources at the British Falconers' Club.
Chesney on the fist in the snow. Jesses, swivel and leash are equipment a first bird needs from the day it arrives.
How much space, food and time does a first bird of prey need?
Before introducing any bird of prey to your home, specialised housing must be built. Evaluating these structures is vital when looking for the first bird, as the space required highlights a major split between these two contenders:
Housing, and why tethering is not a shortcut
A red-tailed hawk needs a clear aviary with varied perching, large enough for the bird to move properly. Tethering is not a way of keeping a large hawk in less space, and that is worth saying plainly because the opposite is repeated a lot online. The Falconry Welfare Code published by the British Falconers’ Club in May 2021, and written by five veterinary surgeons, says birds should only be tethered whilst in training, being flown on a regular basis, or undergoing veterinary care. Because healthy hawks produce an incredible volume of waste, their facilities require deep, frequent cleanings to maintain pristine sanitary conditions. Conversely, a tiny White-Faced Owl handles smaller aviary beautifully, and can even sit relaxed on a simple indoor perch while you complete your daily work. However, regardless of size, both setups demand specialist double-door safety porches to ensure your bird of prey never escapes when you enter or exit.
What the law actually asks of you
- A suitable environment
- A suitable diet
- The ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
- Protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease
- To be housed with, or apart from, other animals as the species needs
The five needs set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006, as quoted in the British Falconers’ Club welfare code. Read 6 September 2026.
Luri supervising. An imprinted white-faced owl settles anywhere in the house, which is part of the appeal and part of the commitment.
Feeding and flying weight
Dietary management can mean the difference between life and death for a captive raptor. A moulting Red-Tailed Hawk eats a massive diet of up to five full chicks a day, dropping down to three chicks a day during active flying seasons to hone their focus. If you are preparing for this process, checking over a comprehensive hawk training guide will ensure you grasp the nuances of weight boundaries. They are incredibly resilient, offering a wider safety margin if an apprentice makes a minor weight calculation error. A small White-Faced Owl eats a delicate mix of chopped mice and chicks. Because their body mass is so low, their weight boundaries are razor-thin, leaving very little room for beginner error.
| Husbandry Category | Red-Tailed Hawk (Chesney) | Southern White-Faced Owl (Luri) |
|---|---|---|
| Acquisition Age | Adult / Fully fledged (Prevents Imprinting Aggression) | Baby / 2 Weeks Old (Fosters Maternal Imprint) |
| Aviary Footprint | Large Outdoor aviary Required | Compact Footprint / Easily Manageable Size |
| Dietary Window | 3 to 5 Full Chicks Daily supplemented with quail | Finely Chopped Mice & Chicks |
| Weight Margin Error | Forgiving / Broad Safety Window | Fragile / Requires Strict Daily Gram Scales |
| Talon Strength & Mass | Heavy, Large Claws; High Injury Risk for Youth | Soft, Gentle Talons; Safe for Young Handlers |
| Holiday Management | Easy; Neighbours Can Drop Food via a Chute | Easy; Highly Chilled Bird Accepting Hand Feeding |
What each bird is actually like to live with
Vocalisations
Hawks are generally quiet, save for their iconic, piercing cinematic screech used to mark territorial boundaries. White-Faced Owls do not produce a typical hoot; instead, they utter a distinct, melodic native chatter that functions as a highly communicative vocal signature.
Weight on the fist, and safety
The Red-Tailed Hawk is a large, apex hunter. For young people, holding a hawk on the fist can quickly cause fatigue, and their powerful talons demand strict physical respect. The White-Faced Owl is exceptionally lightweight and gentle, providing an excellent stepping stone for mastering glove mechanics.
Which bird should you actually start with?
If your ultimate goal is traditional outdoor falconry, the Red-Tailed Hawk is the best choice. However, if you are a young handler or looking for a calm, manageable partner with soft talons and minimal space requirements, the Southern White-Faced Owl serves as an incredible alternative beginner bird.
Be honest with yourself about three things: the years, the daily routine and the escape risk. A bird of prey is fed, weighed and flown every day, not when it happens to suit you. Both setups need a double-door safety porch, because the moment a first bird gets loose is the moment most beginners lose it. We have not found a published UK figure for how long either species lives in captivity, so this page does not print one.
Nothing here is veterinary advice. The same welfare code says to register your bird with a local avian veterinary surgeon before an emergency arises, and that is the most useful sentence in it. A vet decides for an individual bird. We can only tell you what we do for ours.
+ View Video Transcript (Field Notes)
Hello, I'm Isla and welcome back to another video. In this video, we will be comparing white-faced owls and red-tailed hawks. Let's see which bird is best for you. This is Chesney, my red-tailed hawk from America. Did you know red-tailed hawks are the most common bird in America, and they're related to buzzards? What I really like about Chesney is his brown eyes. I think they're really pretty, and he's just a really nice size for a bird.
Now we're gonna compare them as babies. Despite their small size, white-faced owl babies have big personalities. And you have to get them as babies. I got Luri at 2 weeks old, so you can build a bond with them, and so they think you're their mum. Did you know you don't get hawks as babies, you get them as adults because if you don't get them as babies, they can get aggressive while feeding you if they think you're their mum. While owls you need to get as babies so they think you're their mum.
Now we're gonna compare the noise they make. These type of owls, as you just heard, have the cutest little noise ever. They don't exactly make a hoot, but it's really cute. Compared to owls, hawks are generally quite quiet with the noise they make. But have you ever heard the big screech of an eagle in movies? Well, that's not normally an eagle, that's normally a red-tailed hawk, because occasionally they make a loud screech.
Now we are going to compare housing. When we first got Luri, we had her in a smallish cage in our lounge so she could socialise. Now she's moved out into the aviary. I'll show you that in a minute. Now you'll notice she's got her anklets and jesses on so she can't fly away while I'm taking her outside. And like Chesney's house, you can see there's a double door just in case. And this is her lovely home with lots of perches and water for her to fly through.
Red-tailed hawks need a lot of space for housing. Because we let Chesney fly free in his aviary, we need a big space for him and lots of perches. You do need to clean the aviary out quite often because hawks like Chesney do poop a lot. This is Chesney's aviary, as you can see, it's very big. Now, I'm going to show you one of the most important parts: the double doors. We have double doors on his aviary, just to make sure he's extra safe. Now he's in his aviary, nice and happy and relaxed. You'll also notice that his beak is quite long. Once he has shed all his feathers, we'll need to trim it.
Now we're going to compare food. Luri needs high quality food every day, so she eats a mix of chicks and mice. We have to chop them up because she's such a small bird. And as you can see, she's just vomited up what is called a pellet, which consists of bones and fur that she can't fully digest. When Chesney's moulting like this, he eats 5 chicks a day, but when he is flying, he eats 3 chicks a day, because unfortunately Chesney doesn't love us, he just loves food.
Now we're going to talk about leaving Luri on holiday. This is really easy because she's such a friendly bird and really anyone can go into her aviary and hand feed her. Going on holiday is very easy to leave Chesney because we have a chute in his aviary where our neighbour can just shoot chicks through because as long as he eats, he's happy.
Now we're going to talk about temperament. I think Luri is a really, really sweet, nice bird, and she's also very chilled. When I put her in my room on a perch, she just chills there and occasionally flies, but she's really chilled and calm, and from the experiences I've had, she's grown to think I'm her mum and I've grown to trust her. And I think she is an amazing bird. Even though I'm able to hold Chesney, he's not a young falconer's bird. I mean, look at the size of his claws, even though he's so cute, I can't fly him because he's just a bit too heavy and dangerous. Like he could hurt me or someone else. In conclusion, which bird do you think is the best bird for a young falconer like me? Hit that like button and type your answer in the comments. Luri is a really nice bird, and I think she definitely loves me. Look, she's cleaning my hair.
Parallel Journeys
While Isla documents her time with Luri, Dr. Elizabeth Adey shares a professional 12-month masterclass on the care and seasonal management of our resident Pygmy Goats.
Learn about our Pygmy Goats →Come and meet them
Chesney and Luri live here on our working farm in west Cornwall, alongside the horses and the pygmy goats. If you would like to see a hawk and an owl at close quarters before you commit to keeping one, our farm holiday cottage is a short walk from the aviary.
Avian Insights
The questions people actually ask us before they take on a first bird.
What is the best bird of prey for beginners?
A red-tailed hawk, for most people. It is large enough that a small error on the scales does not become an emergency, and it will hunt, which is the point of falconry. A southern white-faced owl is the alternative for a younger or smaller handler who wants a bird to train rather than a bird to hunt with.
Are owls good for falconry?
Owls are kept and flown, but they are not hawks and they do not behave like one. A southern white-faced owl imprints on you from about two weeks old and stays calm on the fist. It also has very little margin on weight, so it suits somebody who will weigh accurately every single day.
What equipment does a first bird of prey need?
A glove, jesses, a swivel and a leash, a perch the bird can sit on properly, and accurate scales. The scales matter more than beginners expect, because flying weight is checked before every session. Housing needs a double-door safety porch, which is the part people leave until last and should not.
Can you tether a hawk instead of building an aviary?
Not as a way of saving space. The Falconry Welfare Code published by the British Falconers’ Club in May 2021 says birds should only be tethered whilst in training, being flown on a regular basis, or undergoing veterinary care.
What does a beginner falconry bird cost to feed?
Feeding is counted in day-old chicks rather than in money. Our red-tailed hawk takes up to five chicks a day when he is moulting and around three a day in the flying season. Our white-faced owl takes a small amount of finely chopped mice and chick. Supplier prices vary, so we do not quote a figure we have not checked this month.
Who looks after a bird of prey when you go on holiday?
Somebody who has been shown the routine. A hawk can be fed through a chute by a neighbour who has been taught what to do. A white-faced owl is usually calm enough to be hand-fed by somebody else. Either way it is arranged before you book the holiday, not after.
British Falconers’ Club, Code of Welfare and Husbandry for Falconry, dated May 2021 and written by five named veterinary surgeons. Read 6 September 2026. The five welfare needs it quotes come from the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Everything else on this page comes from keeping Chesney and Luri at Noonvares Farm.