Falconry Actual Exam Questions and
Correct Detailed Answers with
Rationales (Verified Answers) Already
Graded A+
The proper method for transporting a wild caught raptor is...
a. upside down hanging by its back leg
b. in a dark padded box, ideally with a hood covering the head
c. in a an uncovered wire cage
d. tightly wrapped in tape - Answer ✔ Ans. b
Raptors are not physiologically adapted to stay upside down for any period of time;
strain to the joints and muscles may occur during struggle and restraint. Uncovered and
wire cages will result in excessive exposure and self-inflicted injuries while the bird
attempts to escape. Tape will result in damage to feathers and may severely
compromise breathing. The carrier should be well ventilated, large enough so the bird
does not touch any part of the crate when its wings are closed, that it can make
positional adjustments, and has sufficient head and tail clearance. Padding the inside of
the carrier is highly recommended.
You notice your downy eyas is unable to sit up. It feeds greedily enough but sprawls on
its breast. It makes repeated attempts to sit upright and begins to voice its discomfort by
an irritable, high-pitched chittering. As the disorder progresses, the, bird becomes
extremely restless shifting about in an awkward crawl, chattering continuously. The best
diagnosis is...
a. coccidiosis
b. cramp
c. frounce
d. aspergillosis - Answer ✔ Ans. b
About the third day after the pain calls begin, the arching of the bones caused by
muscle spasms can be seen in the long bones of the legs, more rarely in the wings as
well. Death usually occurs on the fourth or fifth day after the first symptoms appear.
Cramp is a disease most commonly found in...
a. intermewed raptors
b. passage falcons
c. Red-tailed Hawks
d. downies taken into captivity - Answer ✔ Ans. d
Cramp or rickets is a primary cause of death in eyases of any species taken in the
downy stages and even occasionally in large downies. The younger the bird, the greater
,the care that must be taken to keep it warm at all times and at all costs. The disease
can be avoided by assuring that young, older than three-days, receive finely chopped
bone in the small mammals or the birds they are fed. Castings should not be fed until
after the fourth week. A light sprinkling of calcium phosphorous powder on the food
given to downies or egg-laying hawks is probably a good idea.
A major cause of cramp is...
a. roundworms
b. vitamin B deficiency
c. a flagellate protozoan called Trichomena gallinae
d. calcium deficiency caused by feeding lean beef - Answer ✔ Ans. d
Cramp is now known to result from a calcium and/or phosphorous deficiency in the
young bird's diet. Hawks and falcons fed only lean meat acquire the syndrome because
lean meat has very little calcium. There is no cure but bone material in the diet is a
preventive. Eyases not given bone in the diet are especially vulnerable because of the
high calcium demand for new bone. The whole bodies of small animals are an ideal
source of bone in a raptors diet. The falconer should remove the head, crop, viscera,
and feathers, then grind up the rest, bones and all, in a meat grinder or Waring blender,
and feed the mush to the downy youngsters.
Internal parasites...
a. are common in captive raptors
b. are usually easily treated
c. can cause death or debilitation
d. all of the above - Answer ✔ Ans. d
Parasites are common in healthy wild birds, but are more prevalent and are of greater
concern in debilitated birds. A raptor's immune system is often compromised if the bird
is stressed, sick or injured. This can lead to an increase in parasitism. Checking for
internal parasites will improve the health status of the captive bird. New drugs have
made treatment of internal parasites so easy that most birds are now treated
prophylactically. Piperazine and Ivermectin are effective for treating almost all known
parasites. Prophylactic treatment is recommended.
True or false. Intestinal parasites can be treated using one "all-around" anti-parasitic
such as Ivermectin. - Answer ✔ Ans. False.
There are many types of internal parasites that require specific medications for
treatment. Parasites such as nematodes (round worms), cestodes (tapeworms) and
protozoans (coccidia, giardia) all require different drugs for treatment.
A good treatment for roundworms in a raptor's digestive tract is...
a. Tetracycline
b. Enheptin
c. Piperazine. Fenbendazole (Panacur)
d. Furacin - Answer ✔ Ans. c
A number of species of roundworm (Nematodes) are found in hawks. The most
common, ascarid worms, live free in the intestinal tract and absorb nutrients from the
,host's food, they cause no harm unless they are present in very large numbers, in which
case they can physically block the intestine or cause loss of weight when the hawk is
already in poor condition. Roundworm eggs are found (microscopically) in the mutes of
raptors. When food is dropped on the hawk house floor, and fed to another raptor, the
infection spreads. A veterinarian should be consulted to determine the dosage
appropriate for the size and weight of the bird being treated.
Parasites visible in mutes without a microscope may include...
a. capillaria
b. roundworm
c. tapeworm
d. both b and c - Answer ✔ Ans. d
Tapeworms are common in hawks. They are not responsible for disease unless they
are present in very large numbers, and even then, they usually only result in a loss of
weight or condition. Their segments (proglottids) are readily seen in the mutes and
hence most falconers feel obliged to treat them.
The preferred treatment for tapeworm infestation is...
a. Ancoban
b. Enheptin
c. Vitamin C
d. Praziquantel - Answer ✔ Ans. d
Cestodes (tapeworms) are segmented flat worms which are usually low in prevalence
and low in pathogenicity, but in high number they can cause intestinal obstruction in
high numbers. Rodents are the intermediate host of the tapeworm and small rice-like
segments can sometimes be seen in the bird's droppings. Treatment is Praziquantel, a
drug that expels cestodes from the intestine.
When a hawk's mutes become watery and there is no increase or loss in appetite, an
infestation of roundworm is the likely culprit. Tapeworm segments can also sometimes
be seen in the bird's mutes. Fortunately, tapeworms can be effectively controlled with
proper veterinary care.
True or false. Bird lice can kill a healthy raptor. - Answer ✔ Ans. False
Avian lice are usually not a parasite of serious concern. Healthy birds are able to groom
off the lice and can resist an over abundance. Ill birds can become infested. Most lice
feed on feathers and skin debris but some lice feed on quills and may chew into the
skin. Treatment is usually through dustings or sprays. Ivermectin may also be used.
As soon as possible after taking a nestling raptor, its ears should be inspected for...
a. hearing ability
b. maggots
c. feather growth in that area
d. castings - Answer ✔ Ans. b
All eyases should be inspected for maggots (miasis) in the ears. The parasite is
especially common in Cooper's Hawks in the southern part of their range, caused by the
screw-worm fly. It is also common in young Red-tailed Hawks.
, The best treatment for maggots (miasis) is...
a. saline in the ears
b. Furacin
c. Vionate
d. Piperazine - Answer ✔ Ans. a
While occasionally fatal to naturally-raised young, maggots are easily cleared from the
ears of young hawks taken by a falconer. A few drops of saline will cause them to
forsake the ear cavity and they can be readily removed and destroyed. The ear canal
can be filled with saline solution and the maggots will float to the surface. Use forceps to
carefully pick them out.
True or false: Hippoboscids are dangerous to hawks. - Answer ✔ Ans. True
Hippoboscids are blood sucking parasites. Large numbers can create anemia and they
are known to transmit haemoproteus (intracellular parasites that infect the red blood
cells) and West Nile Virus. Birds with Hippoboscids should be treated immediately.
True or false: Suspension or revocation of a falconry permit is the responsibility of the
State, tribe, or territory. - Answer ✔ True
True or false: As an apprentice you may have any number of State, tribal, or territorial
falconry permits and you may possess the number of raptors allowed by those permits.
- Answer ✔ False
True or false: A raptor bred in captivity must be banded with a seamless, non-reusable
metal band. - Answer ✔ True
True or false: Without exception, your sponsor is responsible for the health,
maintenance and security of raptors you possess under your permit. - Answer ✔ False
You must have raptor housing facilities approved before you may obtain a bird to use in
falconry. - Answer ✔ True
You must have jesses or the materials and equipment to make them, leash and swivel,
bath container, and appropriate scales or balances for weighing raptor(s) you possess. -
Answer ✔ True
If you capture a bird you are not allowed to possess, you...
a. may give the bird to another falconer who is allowed to posses it
b. must release it immediately
c. may request a written exception
d. must immediately report the capture to the USFWS office near you - Answer ✔ b.
must release it immediately
You may recapture a falconry bird you have lost...
