Several hawks are adept divers, reaching speeds of above 150 mph. Many species traverse hundreds of kilometers each year on their long migration treks, which is a testament to their fortitude and tenacity. They have among the finest eyesight and hearing of any animal, as well as exceptional sensitivity. In addition to having better distant vision than humans, hawks have eight times as much visual acuity as we have. Their vision can lead to some pretty impressive situations. Hawks are ferocious predators. They can see prey from a great height thanks to their superb vision. To capture rabbits, mice, lizards, fish, squirrels, or snakes, they descend from great heights. They will occasionally sit on a tree or phone pole before swooping down to catch food. A bird trainer filmed their trained hawk performing a jaw-dropping trick that could only be done with incredible vision. Sjors van de Wiel, a falconer with Topvogel, demonstrated how a spectacular Harris hawk with a huge wingspan is able to squeeze its wings in order to fit easily in narrow areas. A short of the footage was uploaded to YouTube and has garnered over 30,000 likes at the time of writing this. It starts with two women with their foreheads pressed together, creating space between their bodies. One of the women is laughing, while the other looks as scared as can be! We can see the bird trainer’s glove come into the frame as a hawk perfectly flies in between the small space between the ladies. They edited the video to show the hawk in slow motion, giving viewers an even better chance to see just how skilled this bird of prey truly is. It takes on average seven years to become a Master falconer, including at least two years to complete your apprenticeship on your own. Each day, 365 days a year, a hawk needs a fair amount of time, and a bird in training needs a lot more time in the air. It’s no easy task to train a hawk and to do one with the precision seen in this video is impressive, to say the least. Do you think you’d be able to calmly stand head-to-head with someone as a huge hawk flew in between you? It’s an intimidating idea but we here at AZA bet it felt exhilarating!
Would You Flinch if a Hawk Flew at Your Face?
Falconers control hawks in flight with a combination of visual or oral signals including whistling and walking in the direction they wish the hawk to follow. It it imperative that the trained hawk remain in sight, even if it is high and distant, and preferable that it should be close enough to hear a shout or whistle. The falconer in the video seems to have his hawk in complete control – resulting in an extremely high level of trust displayed by the two women helping with the training exercise.
Up Next…
Watch A Hawk Turn From Predator to Prey In an Instant After Hunting A Snake: You won’t believe what happens next!Owl vs Hawk: Which Is Which, And Who Would Win In A Fight?: These fierce birds of prey each have their strengths – who would be the victor?Hawk Predators: What Eats Hawks?: Find out where these great hunters stand on the food chain!From Predator to Prey – Watch a Bald Eagle Ambush a Hunting Osprey Outside Seattle: Ospreys are big birds but they are no match for a stealthy eagle!
