This package covers the Bavarian Falknerprüfung, an oral falconry examination that may include practical tasks on raptor husbandry and Beizjagd. It focuses on the four assessed subject areas: raptor biology and identification; husbandry, health and welfare; falconry practice, equipment and safety; and hunting, conservation and falconry law. The multiple-choice set is supporting-knowledge practice, not a simulation of the oral or practical examination. Treat this as subject review and confirm current admission, scheduling and Land-specific rules with the Zentrale Jäger- und Falknerprüfungsbehörde am Landesamt für Maß und Gewicht or another competent state authority. Prepare by integrating four domains: identify raptors by multiple features; explain husbandry and welfare through observation, weighing, hygiene and referral; treat equipment as a fitted safety system; and map federal hunting-law principles to the specific Land rules confirmed with the competent authority. The MCQ sample checks supporting knowledge only and is not a simulation of the oral or practical examination.
What the Falknerprüfung assesses
The examination rewards applied oral reasoning across four linked domains, not isolated trivia.
In Bavaria, the Falknerprüfung is an oral examination in which practical tasks on holding raptors and practising Beizjagd may also be set, including handling falconry equipment, making Geschüh and attaching Lederfesselung. Admission normally requires a passed hunter or restricted hunter examination and a falconry training course of at least 60 hours, including at least 20 practical hours. Those requirements, dates and local procedures must be confirmed with the competent authority.
The assessed subject areas are Greifvogelkunde, including raptor and prey ecology, threats and practical raptor protection; Haltung, Pflege und Abtragen; Ausübung der Beizjagd, including care and use of taken game; and legal foundations of falconry and raptor protection, including acquisition, marking and placing raptors on the market. This guide is subject review. The multiple-choice questions support knowledge; they do not reproduce the oral or practical examination.
A priority map for preparation
Prioritise welfare-critical judgement, correct equipment fit and lawful practice, then build species knowledge around those decisions.
High-priority study is the ability to recognise an abnormal raptor, explain why daily observation and weighing matter, and state when to seek qualified veterinary advice. Next comes equipment safety: jesses, anklets, swivel, leash, hood, gauntlet and telemetry should be explained as a fitted system rather than as separate objects. Legal preparation should be organised as a two-layer map: the Federal Hunting Act provides the nationwide framework, while each Land implements details and sets examination and licensing procedures.
Do not waste early study time memorising fees or trying to infer an official weighting. The source framework does not give candidates a public weighting to game. Build answer templates instead: identify the feature or problem; explain the mechanism; state the welfare, safety or legal consequence; and say what must be checked with the competent authority. That structure works for species identification, husbandry scenarios, equipment faults and jurisdiction questions.
Raptor biology and identification
Use flight silhouette, size, behaviour, plumage and context together; never rely on one feature.
Typical falcons in this syllabus are associated with pointed wings, rapid pursuit and a high-speed stooping hunting style, and with a notched upper mandible. Typical hawks such as the Goshawk are accipiters with broader, rounded wings and a long tail for manoeuvring in cover. Red Kites show a forked tail and buoyant soaring flight; Common Buzzards show broad rounded wings, a fan-shaped tail, variable plumage and a mewing call. Female raptors are usually larger than males; the male of a falcon species is often called a tiercel. An eyas is a young bird still in the nest, while a haggard is an adult that has completed a moult.
Moult proceeds in a broadly predictable sequence but affects feather condition and flight performance. A worked identification answer: “Broad rounded wings, fan-shaped tail, soaring over open farmland and repeated mewing call best support Common Buzzard. A Red Kite would show a forked tail; a Peregrine would show pointed wings and a different flight action; a Goshawk is an accipiter with a long tail and a different hunting style.” State your confidence and what else you would check. For a moulting hawk, expect a temporary reduction in flight performance and adjust training rather than forcing the bird through the moult.
Senses and talons matter because they explain management. Excellent vision supports detection and pursuit, which is one reason a hood reduces visual stimulation. Talons secure prey and are welfare-critical; foot injuries are not minor. Wing shape helps predict hunting style, but identification still needs multiple features and behaviour.
Husbandry, health and welfare
Weighing, hygiene and daily observation are core tools, but abnormal signs require qualified veterinary assessment.
A useful daily routine records posture, breathing, eyes and nares, droppings, feet, feather condition, appetite and behaviour, and weighs the bird consistently. Clean food-contact surfaces, remove uneaten food, protect the bird from draughts and fouled food, and use perches that allow a secure grip without pinching or pressure sores. Raptors often mask illness until advanced stages, so a stable weight does not cancel other warning signs.
Worked data scenario: morning weights are 860 g, 855 g, 845 g and 830 g over four days, while the bird remains responsive but begs more often. The safest interpretation is that a downward trend with a behaviour change deserves review of the feeding and training plan, a husbandry check and mentor or veterinary advice if concerns continue. Do not diagnose serious disease from weight alone, and do not ignore the trend because the bird still flies. If the bird is fluffed, has nasal discharge, laboured breathing or a drooping wing, arrange prompt qualified veterinary assessment. This guide does not provide treatment or dosing instructions.
Distinguish red flags from normal behaviour. Preening after a bath, rousing, casting a pellet and resting on one foot can be normal. Persistent fluffing, discharge, laboured breathing, refusal of food, obvious lameness or a drooping wing warrants professional advice.
Equipment and safety mechanisms
Equipment must fit the individual bird, be inspected before use, and support control without replacing training or judgement.
Anklets or aylmers sit on the leg; jesses connect the bird to the tether; a swivel joins jesses and leash while reducing twisting; a creance is a training line; a lure is a training and recall aid; a hood reduces visual stimuli; a gauntlet protects the handler; and telemetry is a safety safeguard. A hooded bird is generally calmer in transport or disturbance because darkness reduces visual stimulation. Telemetry does not guarantee recovery and does not replace sound training, site judgement or pre-flight checks.
Worked equipment scenario: before a flight, you notice a frayed jess and a stiff swivel. The correct response is to stop, remove the bird from the flight plan, refit or replace the equipment for that individual bird, check the anklet area for rubbing, and seek experienced or veterinary help if skin is damaged. A poorly fitted anklet that rotates and rubs is not a minor cosmetic issue; it can cause injury and escape risk.
Handling and training should be gradual. Manning reduces fear of people and handling pressure; entering, flying to the fist and flying to the lure are training concepts, and weight management underpins them. Weight management is not food deprivation. If a young hawk bates repeatedly, reduce visual and handling pressure, proceed gradually at an appropriate weight, and seek supervised mentoring if unsure.
Hunting, conservation and falconry law
Learn the federal framework, then confirm the Land-specific layer before acting.
The Federal Hunting Act provides the nationwide legal framework, while the Länder implement details and set examination and licensing procedures. Falconry is practised within the hunting system, so hunting-law duties such as species protection and lawful hunting practice apply alongside welfare and equipment responsibilities. Acquisition, marking and placing raptors on the market are also regulated areas; candidates should verify current requirements with the competent authority rather than relying on an old handout.
Worked legal scenario: a landowner invites you to fly at a species during a closed season. Landowner permission does not override species protection or closed seasons. Decline, verify the lawful quarry, season and any permits with the competent authority, and only proceed when the position is clear. Similarly, a candidate moving from Bavaria to another Land should not assume that Bavarian examination, fee or licensing details transfer unchanged. The competent state authority is the authoritative source for local requirements.
A strong oral answer separates stable principles from local verification: “The federal framework requires lawful hunting and species protection; the specific season, permit and examination rule must be confirmed with the competent Land authority.” Do not invent thresholds, dates or exemptions.
Integrated practice task and self-check rubric
Rehearse a 15-minute oral response that links biology, welfare, equipment and law.
Practice task: a falconer asks for advice about a female Goshawk in late-summer moult. The bird’s morning weight has drifted down over four days, one jess is frayed, the swivel is stiff, and the falconer plans to fly at a species whose season is uncertain. Prepare for 10 minutes, then give a 15-minute oral answer. Cover: relevant biology and moult effects; welfare observations and when to refer; equipment inspection and fit; legal checks before flying; and a clear plan that separates what you know from what must be confirmed.
Self-check rubric, each scored 1–5: biology accuracy and multiple-feature reasoning; recognition of welfare red flags and appropriate referral; equipment fit and inspection logic; correct jurisdiction thinking and use of the competent authority; communication that avoids diagnosis, treatment recipes or invented rules. A score of 4–5 requires you to explain mechanisms, not just name facts. A score below 3 usually means you listed topics without linking them to a decision.
Repeat the task with a different species and a different equipment fault. Record yourself, then mark the rubric honestly. Did you mention that telemetry is not a substitute for training? Did you avoid guessing the closed season? Did you separate observation from inference?
Common errors and exam technique
Avoid single-feature identification, gadget reliance, weight-only judgements and legal guesswork.
Common errors include calling every raptor a falcon; identifying from size alone; assuming a stable weight means a bird is healthy; adjusting weight by a formula without supervision; overtightening equipment to stop movement; treating telemetry as a recovery guarantee; quoting another Land’s rule as if it were national; and giving treatment instructions instead of referral. In law questions, landowner permission is not a substitute for species protection or season rules.
Use a four-beat answer: “I observe …, the mechanism is …, the welfare/safety/legal risk is …, and I would verify/act by ….” If unsure, say what you would check and with whom. That is stronger than inventing a precise threshold. The oral examination can include practical tasks, so practise explaining equipment handling and husbandry decisions aloud, under supervision where a live bird is involved.
A practical study sequence
Use a six-week cycle with active recall, scenario practice and a final integrated review.
Weeks 1–2: build raptor biology and identification vocabulary. Practise silhouettes, flight style, sexual dimorphism, moult and prey spectra. Weeks 3–4: husbandry and equipment. Create a daily-observation checklist, a perch and hygiene checklist, and a pre-flight equipment inspection sequence. Practise interpreting a four-day weight trend and explaining when to refer.
Week 5: law and jurisdiction. Make a two-column map of federal framework versus Land-specific verification. Rehearse closed-season and protected-species scenarios. Week 6: integrated mocks. Answer the 20 supporting-knowledge questions, then complete the open oral task and mark it with the rubric. Twice weekly, give a five-minute spoken answer to a new scenario. Confirm admission requirements, examination format and local rules with the competent authority before relying on any timetable or procedure.
Final review: what to confirm
Confirm current examination format, admission, scheduling and local legal requirements with the named authority.
This guide is subject review for the Bavarian framework and a general study aid. It does not replace current official regulations, local advice or supervised practical training. Before applying, check the current admission requirements, required training hours, examination arrangements and Land-specific rules with the Zentrale Jäger- und Falknerprüfungsbehörde am Landesamt für Maß und Gewicht or the competent authority for your Land.
If you are preparing outside Bavaria, treat the legal sections as a framework for asking better questions, not as a statement of your local rules. For bird health, use qualified veterinary assessment; for equipment and handling, use supervised practical instruction.
References and further reading
Use these references to explore the concepts and check the latest information from the relevant organizations.