Short answers, pulled from the story.
Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural habitat using a trained bird of prey. Saker falcons have been used for falconry in the Arabian Peninsula for over 9,000 years, and written records from China describe the practice as far back as 680 BC.
In modern falconry, the red-tailed hawk, Harris's hawk, and the peregrine falcon are among the most commonly used birds. Harris's hawk is particularly popular due to its cooperative social nature and temperament, while red-tailed hawks are favored for beginners in both North America and the UK.
After peregrine falcons were listed as endangered in the US in 1970, primarily due to DDT, falconers and scientists launched captive breeding programs in the early 1970s. The Peregrine Fund, professor Heinz Meng, and private breeders including David Jamieson and Les Boyd bred the first peregrines via artificial insemination. By the 25th of August 1999, the peregrine was removed from the US endangered species list, with at least 1,650 confirmed breeding pairs in the US and Canada.
There are three classes of falconry license in the US: apprentice, general, and master. An apprentice must pass a written test, pass a facilities inspection, and serve at least two years under a licensed falconer while possessing only one raptor. After at least five years at the general level, a falconer may apply for a master class license, which allows up to five wild raptors and an unlimited number of captive-produced raptors.
UNESCO added falconry to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, initially upon the nomination of eleven countries. By 2021, twenty-four countries had nominated falconry, making it the largest multi-national element on the Representative List.
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (1194-1250) is generally acknowledged as the most significant source of traditional falconry knowledge. He wrote De arte venandi cum avibus (On The Art of Hunting with Birds) in the final years of his life; it is widely accepted as the first comprehensive book of falconry and also made notable contributions to ornithology and zoology.