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[They Got Leader]

I need the help of some master engineers.

There are flocks of ravens and giant peregrine falcons that wander around my map, and sometimes come near my dwarves. I want to catch as many of them as I can so that I can make an eyrie/aerie.

In all of my years of playing Dwarf Fortress, I have never thought up a working method of capturing giant birds?

[Roofless]

I am not quite versed in the ways of trapping creatures in DF, but don't constructed animal traps lure animals with food?

[PatrikLundell]

Some creatures are lured by food, others by shiny stuff, some by booze, some by prey, and most aren't attracted to anything. I believe ravens are thieves, and thus can be lured by shiny stuff (i.e. anything that can be stolen, but preferably valuable stuff). I find animals quite often enter my entrance tunnels and get caught by the cage traps there.

A dedicated trap would have cage trapped entrances (e.g. in a '+' configuration) with the bait(s) in the middle. I don't think there's anything to stop you from placing both gems, booze, and food there at the same time, and you can pasture an animal there for extra credit). Note that pressure plates often don't work because the lowest weight you can set them to is still above the weight of many creatures.

[Fleeting Frames]

Peregine falcon dive-hunt vermin, poultry generate vermin. It might be possible to pasture a poult so that the peregine falcon will see the vermin generated but not the poult itself (with floor over head, lest they get spooked and fly away) and when diving down go through a cage trap (seeing vermin through a grate or a floating trap.

However, I have not tested this. It might even be that falcons generate their own vermin, or just see all other randomly spawned ones as always closer.

[Daris]

You might be surprised by how many flying critters you can catch just by putting a string of cage traps up on high ground and waiting for them to blunder randomly into one.  If you don't have high ground, build some.  Put the traps well away from the areas your dwarves frequent, on the highest piece of land you have, or on a platform at least 3-4 z above grade if your land is flat.  Use a lot of them, in a line and/or a patch.  Don't bother putting them on your fort's ramparts unless your dwarves are never in that area.  Get them as close to the map edge as you can, near a spawn point.

It may take several seasons before you catch a breeding pair, but this has never failed me.

[ChangelingVenom]

I usually build a tower that is not attached to my main fort that is just a large platform of traps. This ensures that all the darn birds are out of the sky.

[They Got Leader]

You might be surprised by how many flying critters you can catch just by putting a string of cage traps up on high ground and waiting for them to blunder randomly into one.  If you don't have high ground, build some.  Put the traps well away from the areas your dwarves frequent, on the highest piece of land you have, or on a platform at least 3-4 z above grade if your land is flat.  Use a lot of them, in a line and/or a patch.  Don't bother putting them on your fort's ramparts unless your dwarves are never in that area.  Get them as close to the map edge as you can, near a spawn point.

It may take several seasons before you catch a breeding pair, but this has never failed me.

This is exactly what I needed, thank you. That was my original plan, but before performing !!SCIENCE!!, I like to check with my peers.

Peregine falcon dive-hunt vermin, poultry generate vermin. It might be possible to pasture a poult so that the peregine falcon will see the vermin generated but not the poult itself (with floor over head, lest they get spooked and fly away) and when diving down go through a cage trap (seeing vermin through a grate or a floating trap.

However, I have not tested this. It might even be that falcons generate their own vermin, or just see all other randomly spawned ones as always closer.

Now that we are on the subject, I will have to look and see what I can find on this.

The wiki suggests that they can be used as cat replacements due to their ability to hunt vermin. My assumption is that like cats, they will catch and kill vermin that are around.

[Daris]

They make OK cat replacements, but like cats all the birds you allow to run loose will travel in a group.  They don't spread out to hunt vermin everywhere.  So unless you are careless with your cats and let them adopt dwarves willy-nilly, the falcons are not an improvement.

[They Got Leader]

They make OK cat replacements, but like cats all the birds you allow to run loose will travel in a group.  They don't spread out to hunt vermin everywhere.  So unless you are careless with your cats and let them adopt dwarves willy-nilly, the falcons are not an improvement.

This is a thing that I took into account beforehand, and realistically, I do not mind the fact that the falcons will not truly replace the cat. It is the thought that matters, here, my friend.

[Dunamisdeos]

Use a small tunnel to negate their flying ability!

I have created a masterwork illustration for you.

Spoiler: Note the brushstrokes (click to show/hide)

[They Got Leader]

Use a small tunnel to negate their flying ability!

I have created a masterwork illustration for you.

Spoiler: Note the brushstrokes (click to show/hide)

That is a masterwork picture. I have a similar thing going, except rather than having the birds lead into my fortress, I have false trees that have bait arranged in a similar manner as depicted.

[Derro]

Use a small tunnel to negate their flying ability!

I have created a masterwork illustration for you.

Spoiler: Note the brushstrokes (click to show/hide)

This is a masterwork engraving of a bird, cage traps, bait, and dwarves by Dunamisdeos. The bird is flying. The dwarves are laboring. This artwork refers to the creation of 'birdcages', an artifact scheme.

[They Got Leader]

Use a small tunnel to negate their flying ability!

I have created a masterwork illustration for you.

Spoiler: Note the brushstrokes (click to show/hide)

This is a masterwork engraving of a bird, cage traps, bait, and dwarves by Dunamisdeos. The bird is flying. The dwarves are laboring. This artwork refers to the creation of 'birdcages', an artifact scheme. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality.

Fixed it for you.