India, Feb. 2 -- Such is the aura of India's majestic raptors and their associations with noble falconers of yore that popular belief would have it that whenever a hunter bird sets its eyes on prey, success is virtually a given. But that does not hold true in the natural world. A hunt is a clash of fighting spirits, a struggle to get food by the raptor and a mirror struggle to escape its clutches. Whenever the targeted prey puts up a stiff resistance, or other complex variables kick into play, the hunter beats a retreat after having expended precious energies.

Studies on the Peregrine falcon have shown that the success rate of hunting for this premier species varies from 7.3% to 62%, or higher, depending on differing contexts that includ...