What’s that in the sky? It’s a bird, it’s a plane … no, it actually is a bird.
More specifically, it’s a raptor, a bird of prey commonly used in the ancient hunting practice of falconry. But instead of releasing a falcon and just letting it soar through the sky before snatching up prey, Vahe' Alaverdian and the California-based Falcon Force, Inc. are using their birds to haze away unwanted sparrows, starlings, and pigeons from clients’ properties.
“The principal of falconry applies, but the objective of the sport is completely different,” Alaverdian says.
Falcon Force, Inc. employs a method called falconry-based bird abatement, where falcons are trained to ward off nuisance birds. Springing from a falconer’s leather-gloved hand, the raptor takes to
