Saker Falcon

Saker falcons breed across a broad band of open country stretching from Central Europe through the steppes of Central Asia and into Mongolia and China. They favor grasslands, semi arid plains and the edges of forest where tall trees or rocky outcrops provide nesting sites. Breeding pairs often occupy old nests built by other large birds rather than constructing their own. When winter arrives, most birds leave their breeding grounds and travel south to the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahel, the Indian subcontinent and parts of East Africa as far as Kenya and Tanzania, while many eastern birds simply move to the Tibetan Plateau. Some individuals remain closer to their breeding areas if food stays available. The species covers enormous distances on migration, and ringing studies have confirmed regular movements between Eastern Europe and sub Saharan Africa.

Few birds of prey combine speed and power quite like the saker falcon when it comes to hunting. Across the steppes, ground squirrels of the genus Spermophilus make up the bulk of the diet during the breeding season, providing a reliable and nutritious food source for raising chicks. Pigeons, ducks, larks and other medium birds are also taken regularly, especially during migration and on the wintering grounds. Rather than relying on the near vertical stoops used by the peregrine falcon, sakers typically chase prey in fast, low flights close to the ground, using surprise and stamina to run down their quarry. Small mammals such as voles and hamsters round out the diet when birds are harder to come by.

Across Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, the saker falcon holds a place in culture that goes well beyond sport. Falconers have worked with this species for well over a thousand years, and historical records from the courts of Central Asian rulers show it was among the most prized birds a nobleman could own. In the Arabian Peninsula today, the saker remains a bird of prestige, and dedicated falcon hospitals and breeding programs reflect the deep attachment communities feel toward it. UNESCO first recognised falconry as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2010, with more countries joining the listing in later years, a status that has helped bring attention to the conservation challenges facing the wild populations that supply, legally or otherwise, the ongoing demand.

Search for the saker falcon and you soon run into names like gyr saker, golden saker or rose gold saker. None of them is a wild bird. A gyr saker is a hybrid between a gyrfalcon and a saker falcon, produced by breeders for falconry because it combines the size and power of the gyrfalcon with the saker's tolerance of heat. Golden, rose gold and similar names are commercial labels for pale, warm colored lines of sakers and saker hybrids selected in captivity. Wild sakers already vary a great deal, from chocolate brown birds to pale cream ones with light streaks, and very pale individuals have long been prized by falconers in the Arabian Peninsula. The one natural form that is often confused with a hybrid is the Altai falcon, a large, dark saker type from the Altai and Sayan mountains that was once thought to be a cross with the gyrfalcon. Captive breeding supplies most falcons used in Gulf falconry today, which has eased pressure on wild birds, but hybrids that escape or are lost while hunting can breed with wild falcons, and conservationists worry about the effect on wild populations.

Few birds of prey are as tied to national identity as the saker falcon. Mongolia made it its national bird in 2012, a fitting choice for a country that holds a large share of the world's breeding population on its steppes. The falcon is also a national symbol of the United Arab Emirates, where falconry is part of daily culture and appears on the national emblem. In Hungary the saker is linked to the turul, the mythical bird of prey that, according to legend, guided the ancestors of the Hungarians to the Carpathian Basin and fathered the first royal dynasty. Many Hungarians identify the turul with the saker, and the bird appears in statues and coats of arms across the country. Hungary is also one of the success stories of saker conservation in Europe: artificial nests and insulated power lines helped its population grow from a few dozen pairs in the 1980s to around two hundred pairs today, making it the most important breeding country in the European Union.

The pressures facing the saker falcon come from several directions at once. Illegal trapping for the falconry trade remains one of the most serious problems, with birds taken both from nests and caught during migration. Electrocution on power lines kills large numbers each year across Central Asia and the Middle East, particularly where aging infrastructure has not been fitted with insulating covers. The loss and degradation of steppe habitats has reduced populations of ground squirrels, the main prey for breeding birds, making it harder for pairs to raise chicks successfully. Disturbance at nest sites, persecution and the effects of pesticides on prey availability add further pressure. The combination of these threats across breeding and wintering grounds has driven a significant decline in global numbers over recent decades.

Efforts to protect the saker falcon operate across many countries at the same time. The Saker Falcon Global Action Plan, coordinated through the Convention on Migratory Species, brings together governments, conservation organizations and falconry communities to address the main threats in a coordinated way. On the ground, projects focus on fitting power lines with insulating covers to reduce electrocution deaths, erecting artificial nest platforms in areas where natural nest sites are scarce, and working with local communities to discourage illegal trapping. Captive breeding programs supply birds for falconry in an effort to reduce pressure on wild populations. The largest single project was set up in Mongolia, where 5,000 artificial nests were raised on the treeless steppe starting in 2010; hundreds of pairs now breed in them each year. In Europe, nest boxes and insulated power lines helped populations recover in Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. Anti poaching patrols during migration and at key nest sites have also shown positive results in some countries. Even so, the global population is estimated at only 12,200 to 29,800 mature birds, and the IUCN currently lists the species as Endangered, reflecting how urgent continued action remains.

Here are five things about the saker falcon that often surprise people: • With a wingspan reaching up to 126 cm, it is one of the largest falcons in the world, clearly bigger and heavier than the peregrine falcon. • Sakers rarely build their own nests. They take over old structures made by eagles, ravens or other large birds, often returning to the same site year after year. • Their plumage varies enormously across their range, from pale cream with light streaking to deep brown, making some individuals look almost like a different species. • Unlike most large falcons, sakers hunt mainly at low altitude, chasing prey across open ground rather than stooping from height. • The saker is the national bird of Mongolia, and in Hungary it is identified with the turul, the mythical bird of the nation's founding legend.