Hawks and falcons are both birds of prey. However, you may have likely heard people using the terms interchangeably. The reality is that they are two different species of birds. Hawks are adaptable but prefer living in the open spaces of North America, Central America, Jamaica, and the West Indies. Falcons live in several countries all over the world.

On the other hand, there is a difference between what the common names refer to with regards to specific birds and what they mean in training birds of prey, or raptors. The keeping of any trained captive birds of prey is called falconry, which used to be called “hawking,” and any of the birds of prey in falconry can be called hawks. Why are the birds in the Accipitrine group called hawks, but the birds in the Buteo group are either called hawks, buzzards, or hawkbuzzards depending on where they’re at? We’ll see what makes a true hawk or true falcon and the differences between them below!

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