Raptor talons are really serious weapons - they are the killing mechanism, not the beak. In larger birds comparable to a Rottweiler’s jaw in power. They also have a ratchet-like behaviour, so the bird has to actually want to let you go once you have been grabbed, and struggling usually only makes the bird grip harder
Oh yea, their claws are wild. I got to experience the Tucson Desert Museum demo[0] (it's still going, but this was 16+ years ago)... it's amazing. The falconer had a leather covered arm even though the bird is a close friend.
They are smart AF, but watch out for the beak too if it's injured/scared. A vet told me, if you handle a raptor, protect your hands, they can take a chunk.
yeah, I volunteer at a UK raptor conservancy. For handling most of the birds a falconer's glove is okay but for the bald eagle we have a long leather guard for the whole arm - it's actually a boot that someone cut the foot off. A couple of the handlers describe being seriously gripped by a bird - you just have to keep still and grin and bear it until the bird decides to let go.
I got a scratch on the side of my head once from a black kite that 'clonked' me with its talons as it flew past but this was just messing about, not a serious attack.
One other thing is how I would feed the birds. Some of them (e.g. a hooded vulture) I would pass food to their beak with my bare hand but with other birds this would be a good way to lose a finger.
Also, their Egyptian vulture likes playing with shoe laces (undoing them by pulling) and also tugging on leg hair if you are wearing shorts. The Yellow-billed kites like grabbing people's hats if they are wearing them.
