Vila Falco

About Eduardo Cabral

My fascination for the birds in general, began in my childhood and youth having in my youth some success in the breeding in captivity of some very difficult species like the insectivorous Eurasian nuthatch (sitta europea) and the great tit (parus major); My first contact with birds of prey was also in my youth, in a small village in North Portugal called Freixinho, there I had the opportunity to begin understanding that this birds can be trained to hunt; later, in the period of 1972-1974, in Africa, Guiné I had the chance to rehabilitated an African Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus) and train him before release.

In 1979, after finishing my University degree in Psychology, I began to understand a little better their behaviour, having participated in several seminars and pos graduation courses in Ethology.

After this time I began working as a volunteer in the recovery of birds of prey, thru the World Working Group of Birds of Prey and Owls ( WWGBP ) and as board member of the AÇOR – Scientific Association for the Recovery of Birds of Prey.

In 1983 I gave my first steps in the breeding of birds of prey and founded the CENTRO FALCO – Scientific Association for the breeding of birds of prey, with the function of president of the board and achieving my first success in the breeding of birds of prey, firstly in a essentially conservation perspective, reintroduction and reinforcement of some species, and later also in a leisure perspective, to produce birds of prey for the practice of falconry.

After 1995 the goals of the captive breeding were centred essentially in the production of birds for the wildlife control of the Airports of Portugal (Lisbon and Faro), where I had the function of Wildlife Manager during eleven years and more recently, since 2008, the breeding program was adapted to the following goals:

1. Production of Golden Eagles ( aquila chrysaetus homeyeri ) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment of Portugal ( ICNBB ) for the reintroduction in the north of Portugal
2. Production of large falcons for the Middle East
3. Production of Goshawks and smaller falcons for the European market

During all this years, although with a few interruptions, my main sport was falconry, practiced almost always with the birds I produced.

My breeding success reaches a significantly large number of species and several subspecies, like:

Owls: Barn Owl (tyto alba) , Towny Owl (strix aluco), Little Owl (athene noctua), Eagle Owl (bubo bubo), Long-eared Owl (asio otus) e Snowy Owl (nictea scandiaca)

Eagles: Golden eagle (aquila chrysaetus) and Booted eagle (hieraaetus pennatus)

Accipiter: Goshawk (accipiter gentilis) e Sparrowhawk (accipiter nisus)

Falcons: Kestrel (falco tinunculus), Lagar (falco jugger), Laner (falco biarmicus), Saker (falco cherrug), Gyr (falco rusticolus), Iberian peregrine (falco peregrinus brookei), Scottish peregrine (falco peregrinus peregrinus), peals peregrine (falco peregrinus pealei) barbary (falco pelegrinoides pelegrinoides), Red Nape Shain (falco pelegrinoides babylonicus), African peregrine (falco peregrinus minor) and hibryds from the species above.

Others: Buzzard (buteo buteo), Harris (parabuteo unicinctus), Black Kite (milvus migrans) e Red Kite (milvus milvus)