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Saker Falcon

Saker Falcon

Falco cherrug

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The Saker Falcon is a large, powerful falcon that breeds from Central Europe across the Palearctic to Manchuria. A partial migrant, many birds winter as far away as the Sahel or the Tibetan Plateau. An open-country hunter, it chases prey low and fast over grasslands. It is listed as Endangered, with illegal trapping for falconry and habitat loss driving declines, especially in Central Asia. It is the national bird of Hungary, the United Arab Emirates and Mongolia.

Did you know?

  • Sakers can reach about 150 km/h in level flight and approach 300 km/h in dives.
  • Its English name comes from the Arabic ṣaqr, “falcon”.

About the species

Identification

A large falcon, almost the size of a Gyrfalcon. Brown above and pale below, with dark “trousers”. Its flight silhouette is Gyrfalcon-like. Very similar to Lanner Falcon.

Family

Falconidae

Size

Large (crow)

Colours

brown, white, grey

About the habitat

Open grasslands and steppes, usually with scattered trees, pylons or nearby cliffs for nesting; in winter also semi-deserts and farmland.

Diet

Mostly small mammals, such as ground squirrels, and birds, including pigeons.

Behaviour

A swift, powerful raptor that often hunts by fast, level pursuit over open country but can also stoop at great speed. It usually reuses old stick nests of other large birds or nests on cliffs. Partly migratory, young birds being more likely to move than adults.

Sources

Photo: Marek Szczepanek, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Falco cherrug (Marek Szczepanek).jpg

Text: Wikipedia (English), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saker_falcon

See also