Why the Equipment Deserves Your Attention

Falconry is a partnership, and the equipment is the visible language of that partnership. For the wildlife artist, a bird of prey without its jesses, bells and perch can look oddly naked—like a portrait sitter without clothes. The accoutrements tell you whether the bird is a trained falcon, a hawk on a block, or a young bird just beginning its education. They also provide scale, texture and narrative. Before you mix a single grey for a peregrine’s back, it pays to understand what a swivel does and why a bell is tied with a bewit.

British wildlife art has a long connection with falconry. From medieval manuscripts to Victorian sporting paintings, artists have delighted in the leather, brass and feathers. This guide introduces the main pieces of falconry equipment, not as a falconer’s manual, but as a painter’s primer.

Gloves and Gauntlets: The Falconer’s Hand

The glove is the first thing you notice when a bird lands on the fist. For a kestrel or a merlin, a lightweight goatskin glove may suffice. For a goshawk or a golden eagle, you need a heavy gauntlet—often cowhide or kangaroo leather—with a long cuff that reaches past the wrist. The cuff protects the forearm and gives the bird a broad, stable landing pad.

As an artist, look at how the glove changes the hand’s shape. The fingers curl slightly, the thumb braces, and the leather creases at the knuckles. A well-used glove darkens with sweat and weather, and talon marks become part of its character. If you paint a glove pristine and uniform, it will look like a prop. Instead, note the scuffs, the softened palm, the way the cuff folds. When the bird grips, the talons indent the leather—a small but crucial detail that sells the weight of the bird.

Bells, Bewits and Jesses: The Small Metalwork and Straps

Falconry relies on a handful of small, beautifully made items. The main ones are:

• Bells – traditionally brass, with a clear chime. A falcon may wear a pair, one larger and one smaller, so the falconer can locate the bird by sound.
• Bewits – small leather strips that attach the bell to the bird’s leg.
• Jesses – leather straps around the bird’s ankles. A jess has a slit through which the swivel passes.
• Swivels – metal connectors that prevent the jesses from twisting.
• Anklets – soft leather rings that sit above the jesses, protecting the leg.

For the artist, these items are a gift. They catch light, dangle, and create complex negative shapes against feathers. A brass bell on a dark leather bewit is a study in warm and cool tones. Paint them with care: the bell should look heavy, the leather supple, and the swivel metallic without looking like chrome.

Perches and Blocks: Where the Bird Rests

A trained bird spends much of its day on a perch. The type of perch tells you about the bird. A block perch—a flat-topped cylinder, often with a cork or turf top—is used for hawks such as goshawks and Harris’s hawks. A bow perch—a curved metal or wooden bow, sometimes wrapped in rope—is favoured for falcons, because it mimics a rock ledge and keeps their long wings clear of the ground. There are also ring perches for owls and screen perches for indoor use.

When you sketch a bird on a perch, notice how the talons wrap around the curve or grip the flat top. The perch itself becomes a still life: weathered wood, frayed rope, the sheen of a metal bow. That relationship between bird and perch is the heart of a good falconry painting.

Hoods and Lures: Tools of Training and Trust

The hood is perhaps the most iconic piece of falconry equipment. It is a leather cap, often decorated with braided tassels, that covers the bird’s eyes. A well-fitted hood calms a bird in strange surroundings. For an artist, the hood is a sculptural object: a beak-like shape, a smooth curve, and a strap that runs behind the head. The tassels, called braces, add a flash of colour and movement.

Lures are another training tool. A lure is a bundle of feathers and leather, often shaped like a bird, attached to a cord. The falconer swings it to call a falcon back. At rest, it is a curious object, part craft, part toy. If you paint a falcon stooping to the lure, the lure must look substantial enough to be worth catching.

From Field to Easel: Capturing the Character

The best way to learn falconry equipment is to see it in use. Visit a falconry centre or a country fair, and ask polite questions. Watch how a falconer ties a jess, how a bird steps to the fist, how a glove softens with age. Take a sketchbook, not a camera—your eye will learn faster.

In your paintings, avoid the museum look. Equipment should look handled. The bell should have a patina, the jesses slightly frayed, the glove creased. British wildlife art at its best celebrates that lived-in quality, whether it is a medieval hood or a modern bow perch. Get the equipment right, and the bird will feel truly alive on the canvas.