Why owls are harder to train than raptors such as buzzards

“But aren’t owls raptors?” I hear you think. No! Owls aren’t officially raptors and I’ll tell you why:

they don’t have crops and that’s the very thing that distinguishes them from raptors.
The crop is a muscular pouch that is an extension of a bird’s esophagus used to store excess food prior to digestion.

Birds such as falcons, buzzards, hawks, vultures and eagles have crops and are officially raptors.

Birds with crops are easier to train than birds without crops. Here’s how that works:
owls and raptors only hunt when they are hungry. If they aren’t hungry, they’ll avoid flying to preserve energy. This is a natural instinct that’s crucial for survival.
When falconers fly (aka train) their birds, they reward the bird with a piece of meat every time it has flown. Because owls don’t have crops, the food falls directly into their stomach, making them less hungry every time they have flown. This is why you’ll notice in owl demonstrations that the owl’s reaction time becomes longer and longer after every flight.
Birds with crops however don’t have this problem because the food doesn’t fall directly into their stomach but is stored in the crop first. That’s why it’s easier to work with raptors in falconry demonstrations than with owls.

Just to be clear, with training, I mean flying. In my opinion the imprinting, raising and socializing is the same for owls and raptors. 

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