How should an apprentice best judge a raptor's condition?

Weighing a raptor is a fundamental practice in assessing its overall condition and health. Body weight provides critical insights into the bird's physical status; for instance, significant weight loss can indicate illness, stress, or inadequate nutrition, while weight that is too high may suggest obesity or other health issues. Regular monitoring of a raptor's weight can help apprentices identify trends over time, making it easier to detect any sudden changes that could warrant further investigation or intervention.

While visual inspection of how a hawk holds its raptors, feeling the keel, and checking the brightness of the eyes can provide additional information or context about the bird's health, they do not offer as direct or quantifiable measures as weighing does. These other methods can be helpful in identifying specific issues, but they are supplementary to the more comprehensive and clear assessment provided by regular weight measurements.