| A short list of falconry terms
1. Different sorts of hawk
During the Middle Ages, every social class had a special kind of hunting hawk associated with it. Thus,
Gerfalcon or a Gyrfalcon (esp. the male, also called tercel) was for the king.
Falcon or tercel gentle for a prince.
Falcon of the rock for a duke.
Peregrine or a bluehawk for an earl.
Bastard hawk for a baron.
Saker for a knight.
Lanner for a squire.
Merlin for a lady.
Hobby for a young man.
Goshawk for a yeoman.
Sparrow hawk for a priest.
Musket for a holy-water clerk.
Kestrel for a knave and a servant.
2. Different parts of a hawk
Sure, you may call yourself a falconer. But do you know your haglurs from your principals? No? Read on...
Arms. The legs from the thigh to the foot.
Beak. The upper, crooked part of... well, beak. :)
Beams. The long feathers of the wings.
Clap. The lower part of the beak.
Feathers summed/unsummed. Feathers full or not full grown.
Flags. The second-longest feathers, next to principals.
Glut. The slimy substance in the pannel.
Haglurs. The spots on the feathers.
Mails. The breast feathers.
Nares. The two little holes on top of the beak.
Pannel. The pipe next to the cloaca.
Pendent feathers. The ones behind the toes.
Petty singles. The toes.
Pounces. The claws.
Principal feathers. The two longest ones.
Sails. The wings.
Sear, sere. The yellow part under the eyes.
Train. The tail.
3. The dress of a hawk
A falconer wouldn't be seen dead with a badly dressed bird. Time to invest on some proper attire:
Bewils. The leathers buttoned to the birds legs, embellished with the hawk bells.
Creanse. A thin twine fastened to the leash in disciplining a hawk.
Hood. A cover for the head, to keep the hawk in the dark. A rufter hood is a wide one, open from behind. To unstrike a hood is to draw the strings so that the hood can be easily pulled off if so desired.
Jesses. The little leather straps with which the leash is fastened to the legs.
Leash. The leather thong for holding the hawk.
4. Terms used in falconry
Assorted terms for advanced snobbery.
Casting. Something given to a hawk to cleanse her gorge.
Cawking. Treading.
Cowering. When young hawks quiver and shake their wings in obedience to their elders.
Crabbing. Two hawks fighting each other when standing too near.
Hack. The place where a hawk's meat is laid.
Imping. Repairing a wing by engrafting a new feather.
Inke. The breast of a bird the hawk preys on.
Intermewing. The time of changing the coat.
Lure. A figure made of a fowl made of leather and feathers.
Make. An old, well-trained hawk that sets an example to others.
Mew. The place where hawks sit when moulting.
Muting. The dung of hawks (isn't it amazing that they need a special word for what's basically just mundane bird shit?)
Pelf. What is left of a prey after the hawk is done with it.
Pelt. The dead body of a fowl killed by a hawk.
Perch. The resting place of a hawk when off the falconer's wrist.
Quarry. The fowl or game that a hawk flies at.
Rangle. Gravel given to a hawk to empty her stomach. Probably a means of producing muting.
Sharp set. Hungry.
I'm no falconer, so if you spot a mistake or know of a term I haven't included here, /msg me.
The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
OED
Also thanks to Kidas for helping me with the correct spelling of lanner, gyrfalcon and countless others. :)
| 
