The principle of using falconry for bird control is for the bird of prey to act as a deterrent to the pest birds and is very different to the sport of falconry where the aim is for the bird of prey to catch their quarry. When birds of prey are being used as a deterrent the objective is to establish an area where the pest birds feel threatened by the presence of the hawk without actually being caught, and so move to a safer area.

Pigeon Deterrent - Hawks are generally used to deter pigeons in urban areas such as town centres, schools and hospitals where large scale proofing would be prohibitively expensive.

Seagull Deterrent - Hawks or falcons can be used to deter seagulls. With large, open areas such as horse studs or landfill sites, falcons would normally be used. In industrial areas such as food production factory sites, shopping centres and schools, hawks would be used.

Ground Nesting Birds - Birds of prey can be used to deter ground nesting birds from areas earmarked for development. The bird of prey is flown in the area before the birds start to build their nests so that they move to a safer nesting site nearby.

Warehouses - Birds of prey can be used to chase a bird out of a large commercial building.

Development Sites - along with proofing measures, birds of prey can be used to deter birds from nesting in or around buildings due for re-development.

Egg and Nest Removal - Seagulls can nest on large roofs. Falconry can be used to disrupt the birds prior to nesting, but it may ne necessary to adopt and egg and nest removal programme over a number of years to reduce the overall breeding population.