Falcons were used to hunt small animals or other birds. They were not often found in Bestiaries, and in manuscripts where they did appear, they were not usually used for allegory. There are many medieval books on falconry and hawking, as well as on the care of hunting birds. The use of falcons for hunting was restricted to the nobility.

One of the Latin names sometimes used for the falcon, herodius, is also used for the heron