chases whatever she wants at any moment if she feels for it. In

fact she uses me as a moving perch from where to hunt until the chase begins following a flush by my cocker spaniel.  Aplomados love perching on top of your head, shoulder, or of course the glove and will make repeated "search flights" until quarry is spotted or we flush game.  For dove it is desired that the bird waits-on at about 30 metres above where the dove has sought refuge.  Arriving at the trunk I shake the tree until some of the doves emerge and something of a stoop might occur, she may tail-chase over a short distance before making contact with the dove.  Hunting doves in places where there isn't cover like trees, will take your experienced falcon out of sight, which doesn't really matter if you know the land and there are no dangers.  Tail chasing can frustrate a young eyas which cant keep up with the dove and really needs avoiding…….end

 

 

 

 

 

 

I asked Virgilio some questions about the Aplomado Falcon, these do not need repeating here because the answers make them self evident.    The female Aplomado can vary a bit in size and there are probably even two subspecies as some authors suggest. Her flight weight varies depending on the type of quarry I intend her to fly at. You could say that 330g is her midrange, although I´ve trapped 400g females, for  a male that would be about 230g.
Aplomados can definitely become more of an "accipiter" when the circumstances arise. They are not very well suited for waiting-on, or stooping, but are just as good as a Merlin for pursuit flights, plus several bonuses, like being able to go after prey which has gone to ground or into heavy cover, just as a Coopers Hawk.  Aplomados even seek prey very fast by foot when necessary, which is one of the Coopers most impressive traits. Aplomados are almost exclusively flown to the fist. The lure is only used if going too far away on a chase, which might become hazardous due to some unintended event such as gunhunters. It would maybe used to lure exersise an eyass/brancher or simply to call back a nervous passage at the beginning stages.
Quite like the Harris, Aplomados are slow to mature as eyasses due to their higher evolutionary state and intelligence among falco family.  They are semi-gregarious and will hunt in groups under special circumstances, and almost always are found hunting co-operatively in pairs year-long.

birds which go up an for the ones who seek cover such as quail,

although I think that for horned-lark the Merlin might be a somewhat better. The Coopers Hawk remains king of the quail hunters.  Once well-tamed Aplomados form a strong association with you and will actually stop hunting unless you very actively participate in the hunt.  I will fly her about 3 grams lighter for going hunting quail or meadowlark, or when hunting in enclosed areas such as open forest where they behave more like short-wings.    I will have her 3 grams heavier for the long enduring flights at Horned Lark or "Tildillos" which go up into the sky as an escape tactic. All weight changes are minute, but this tactic is enough to see behavioural changes. An example being,  if flown at above 3 grams average weight, she will not go into heavy cover for the quarry, but merely hover around and then keep flying past, or go to my head or glove.  If flown at below 3 grams, she will not have the stamina for very strong ringing flights.     She is trained with the free flight system and

They take fur and feather, attacking even hare (of course not actually binding or killing, just making short passes at it) and squirrels make a diet for them also. They crash into cover as hard as any accipiter and bind to prey.  Aplomados are good both for

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