The falcon is depicted standing on a lavishly decorated perch adorned with pearls and precious stones. A hexagonal tortoise shell pattern is applied to it. The staff supporting the perch also shows a gilded, richly ornamented metal attachment, while the cord tying the bird features golden rings and red tassels. This luxurious equipment suggests that the bird is a hunting falcon from the imperial stock.
Depictions of eagles or falcons (both referred to as ying in Chinese) have been known in China since the 4th century. Under Central Asian Turkic influence hunting with birds of prey was a popular sport among the elite in the Tang dynasty (618–907) and the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (1279–1368).