The Aviary

"The Aviary" is a nickname given by UFOlogists to the group of people working for the US military who deliberately spread disinformation about UFOs during the 1970s and 1980s and possibly later, apparently on behalf of the US military. The name refers to the fact that they are known by codenames that are names of birds.

Falcon and Sparrow

At a 1989 Mutual UFO Network conference, Bill Moore confessed that he had intentionally fed fake evidence of extraterrestrials to UFO researchers including Paul Bennewitz.

In early September 1980 I was approached by a well-placed individual within the intelligence community who claimed to be directly connected to a high-level government project dealing with UFOs. This individual, who subsequently came to be known as the falcon, told me that he spoke for a small group of similar individuals who were uncomfortable with the government's continuing cover-up of the truth, and indicated that he and his group would like to help me with my research into the subject in the hope that I might be able to help them find a way to change their prevailing policy and get the facts out without breaking any laws in the process. I knew I was being recruited, but at that point i had no idea for what. In any case i was told that if i was interested in cooperating with their group i would further be contacted by a liaison man and that future meetings between me and the falcon would be arranged by this person. the liaison person who subsequently made contact with me was afosi agent richard doty, a man who has since become quite controversial in his own right, and who many people have mistakenly assumed is the falcon himself. the story of my contacts with the falcon, Doty, and subsequently a number of others is something i will have considerably more to say about at a later date. i'm fully aware that such a course of action will undoubtedly prompt the gossip-mongers to begin circulating an entirely new array of outrageous and unsubstantiated rumors but so be it my purpose here is to deal only with that part of the story which is directly connected to the bennewitz affair to those of you who want to know more after hearing what i had to say tonight i counsel continued patience you have my assurance that the rest of the story will ultimately be told as well but before going back to the bennowitz affair let me make several points which seem appropriate at this juncture first of all on the question of richard dodie and the falcon it's important to note that the name falcon was invented by my partner Jaime Shandera and I in 1984, strictly as a way of facilitating our talking to each other about this person, particularly on the telephone, without having to use a name. richard doty who continued to be liaison man was similarly referred to us or by us as the sparrow. Neither sparrow nor falcon were aware that we were using these terms in reference to them, nor was anyone else to the best of my knowledge prior to about mid 1985. it was in mid 1987 just after we went public with the mj 12 papers that at falcon's suggestion and with the concurrence of richard doty we began dropping subtle hints that falcon might in fact be doty. falcon felt that such a ploy would be useful to him in continuing to protect his identity. while dodi for his part said that if anybody asked he could simply deny it and that would be that. we agreed and as many of you are painfully aware it turned out to be an excellent diversion particularly with respect to the effect it had following the ufo cover-up live show which was broadcast nationally in october 1988 in all fairness to mr doty here i should also like to comment that in my assessment rick is much better at following orders and implementing the schemes of others than he is at coming up with ideas of his own those of you that have devoted time and energy to constantly badgering this man for more information should be aware that all you are doing is making nuisances of yourself rick is not the man you're after

Despite this, a number of other sources give different names.

Robert Hastings said that Doty was Falcon. He stated that Linda Moulton Howe told him that Doty invited her to his office at Kirtland AFB in early April 1983, showed her a purportedly authentic U.S. Government document on UFOs, and identified himself as code-name "Falcon" and stated that it was Bill Moore who had given him that name.

An article in FATE magazine said that Moore had said that the Aviary had now expanded to twelve members, who he gave codenames to and described briefly.