Our Mission

Falcons Forever began as a small breeding project to produce personal falconry partners for a small group of like minded falconers. Over time, the need to continue shepherding the captive gyrfalcon population became apparent. With financial contribution from the founders, Falcons Forever was born and our mission grew to encompass the important work of species wide conservation through maintaining vital genetic integrity within the global captive gyrfalcon population. We operate within the frameworks established by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as stringent guidelines set by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as C.I.T.E.S.

We believe that the falconry community, with its deep knowledge of raptor biology and husbandry accumulated over thousands of years of practice, is uniquely positioned to contribute to the conservation challenges of the 21st century. Falconers were instrumental in the recovery of the peregrine falcon from the brink of extinction. That same expertise, applied with modern rigor, is what Falcons Forever brings to the work. In 2021, UNESCO inscribed falconry on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing it as a living tradition passed down through generations across dozens of countries.

Our Vision

We envision a growing network of cooperative breeding programs whose combined genetic libraries mirror the diversity still present in wild populations, and whose birds are placed into relationships, with falconers, pest abatement operators, education ambassadors, and other breeding programs, that give each animal a meaningful role and a cared-for life.

Captive breeding programs have been used to successfully rehabilitate threatened and endangered raptors by such groups as the Peregrine Fund. Evidence that a small group of dedicated practitioners can change the trajectory of a species encourages us to continue to shepherd a genetically sound domestic population.

The species we work with

Falcons Forever works predominantly with gyrfalcons, though we work with a few other raptor species as well, including Siberian goshawks and ornate hawk eagles.

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) — The world's largest falcon and a bird of the high Arctic, the gyrfalcon is uniquely vulnerable to the compounding pressures of climate change, shifting prey populations, and HPAI. The captive population in North America is small enough that every successful breeding contributes meaningfully to the global gene pool. This is our longest-standing and most active breeding program.

Siberian Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis albidus — The largest and most striking of all goshawk subspecies, albidus is restricted in the wild to northeastern Siberia and Kamchatka, where its pale plumage, ranging from blue-grey to near-white on some individuals, is a direct adaptation to its snowy boreal landscape. It is significantly larger than the North American subspecies, with females recorded at nearly four pounds, and has been prized in falconry for centuries as a supremely capable forest hawk. Albidus is exceptionally rare in North American captive breeding programs, making our work with this subspecies one of the more distinctive contributions we make to the project genetic reserve. Northern Goshawk populations broadly have declined across portions of their range, driven by old-growth forest loss, West Nile Virus, and the recovery of mammalian nest predators, and the species lacks federal protection in the United States despite two listing attempts.

Ornate Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus) — A striking raptor of the tropical Americas, the Ornate Hawk Eagle carries Near Threatened status driven by ongoing deforestation across its range in the Amazon Basin and Atlantic Forest. It is one of the most visually dramatic birds of prey in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the least represented in North American captive breeding programs. Its inclusion in our project reflects both the conservation need and the important role that rare species play in connecting the public to conservation work.

We operate under a federal propagation license that authorizes the breeding, holding, and transfer of raptors in accordance with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations. We practice artificial insemination alongside natural pairing where appropriate in order to maximize our ability to maintain diversity within our project.

Where our birds go

Falcons Forever places chicks, which are more correctly called eyasses, through three primary channels, each chosen because it puts the bird into a relationship that serves both the individual animal and the broader conservation mission.

Traditional falconers provide the most intensive individual care available outside a dedicated breeding facility. The falconer-bird relationship, built over months of daily interaction, produces animals whose welfare is closely monitored and who may eventually contribute to the broader captive gene pool through future breeding programs.

Pest abatement operations at airports, farms, and other commercial sites give birds a working role in pest management, reducing the use of lethal alternatives while keeping a trained raptor in active condition under professional care.

Other breeding projects receive birds specifically to strengthen genetic lines that overlap poorly with their existing population. These placements are the most direct contribution to long-term species viability.