Jan Priddy’s Reviews > Falcon > Status Update

An odd thing to say, but Macdonald is a bit sexist, presenting falconry as manly, "the peregrine declined unnoticed because it is not adorable, a women's bird, easily kept track of on lawn and feeder—and easily missed. It is a man's bird, a strong, silent, solitary raptor." [1970] Yet, my intro to falconry was from a noted falconer-author unmentioned here. Women were discouraged from the sport... and did it anyway.

Many connections to royalty, Shakespeare, and the Church. Imagine nuns in trouble for their devotion to their falcons!

Despite my kibitzing, this is a wonderfully informative book and beautifully written. I've admired falconry since I was a child.

Also, since fighting among peregrines, for example is rare, what would be the advantage of a larger male?

Two to four peregrine eggs for example, would weigh 100 to over 200 grams. And adult female weighs 700 to 1,500 grams, equivalent to a 140 pound woman carrying a 19-28 pound baby.

Reviewing the "reverse size domorphism" [RSD] of many raptors—the female is often considerably larger than the male—reveal the anthropocentrism of science, assuming that what is typical of humans is the standard. Further, in reviewing the possible reasons for this female/male difference, Macdonald misses the two obvious: 1. a larger female is better placed to grow the eggs, and 2. to carry their weight before laying.