This picture was taken after a good days hawking and the Huang Ying is being fed up for the night.
The white feather hanging from the hawks train is a cockerels tail feather and is called a Yemal. It is a very effective indicator as to where the hawk is as it fly’s across valleys and into the distance.
The hawk may blend into the cover of a tree but the white Yemal blows in the wind like a white flag for all to see. These days the Yemal is backed up with a tail bell which is useful in low dense cover and the two together are a great advantage in hawk location when telemetry is not available.

Having learnt my falconry with goshawks and in the days before telemetry I really could feel happy with this system, especially in such hilly country where electronic signals can play the fool with you.