BUFFALO, N.Y. — From horse racing to agility competitions, animals and sports often go hand-in-hand. But one sport not often in conversation is falconry.

"He is a male 3-year-old American Kestrel and he flies in falconry," falconer Jessica Hill said of Meeps. "He hunts mice typically, the wild kestrel. They’ll hunt mice, insects, smaller birds, things like that."

Meeps might look small, but he is mighty. 

Hill has always been fascinated by birds of prey, but the book ‘My Side of the Mountain’ inspired her to become a falconer. Falconry is using a bird of prey to hunt wildlife in its natural habitat. 

"Most juvenile raptors die, 75% of them die in their first year," Hill said. "So falconers, they can take one from the wild, raise it up, teach it how to be a successful hunter with those larger prey items like those rabbits, squirrels, for those red-tailed hawks, birds for a kestrel, and then release them into the wild. And they’re now a healthy component for their species."

Meeps hunts another bird species called the European Starling. Hill says starlings overtake and bully native species, like bluebirds and tree swallows. They can even kill the native birds’ offspring. 

"So I specifically target starlings with him," Hill said. "He weighs about 100 grams and the starlings weigh about 80 grams. So he’s a pretty impressive little dude. [I'm] proud of him."

For those who wish to become falconers, there is a state exam they'd have to study for and take. Hill says if they pass, they then need to find someone to sponsor them and act as a mentor.

"It’s a two-year commitment and this involves building a structure called a muse, that’s where you keep raptors," Hill said. "It has to be specific requirements per state, so they’re very specific and a DEC investigator will come out and make sure everything’s up to par."

Hill says once a falconer trains with their mentor for two years, they can move on to more advanced species to work with. 

Learn more about falconry licenses, click here.