saker falcon
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Cleanup|reason=cite|date=November 2016}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Falco_cherrug_(Marek_Szczepanek).jpg
| image_caption = In China
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Falco
| parent = Falco (Hierofalco)
| species = cherrug
| authority = Gray, JE, 1834
| range_map = FalcoCherrugIUCN2019 2.png
| range_map_caption = Range of F. cherrug {{leftlegend|#00FF00|Breeding|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#008000|Resident|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#00FFFF|Passage|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#007FFF|Non-breeding|outline=gray}}
| synonyms =
- Falco altaicus {{small|(Menzbier, 1891)}}
- Hierofalco altaicus {{small|(Menzbier, 1891)}}
}}
The saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a large falcon species. It breeds from Central Europe eastwards across the Palearctic to Manchuria. It is a partial migrant, which means that some part of the population is migratory, some part is not. In Europe, for example, a part of [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269839320_Migratory_movements_of_Central_and_Eastern_European_Saker_Falcons_Falco_cherrug_from_juvenile_dispersal_to_adulthood the juveniles are migrating], while adults are mostly resident. The European and West Asian migratory sakers spend the winter in the Sahel region. On migration, they cross the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, and Pakistan, where they are exposed to illegal trapping. The migratory birds to the east from Altai Mountains spend the winter in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.{{ cite web|url=https://www.ead.gov.ae/en/Discover-Our-Biodiversity/Birds/Saker-Falcon|title= Saker Falcon entry at Abu Dhabi Environment division}}
The saker falcon is the second fastest bird in level flight after the white-throated needletail swift (unconfirmed), capable of reaching {{convert|150|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}. It is also the third fastest animal in the world overall after the peregrine falcon and the golden eagle, with all three species capable of executing high speed dives known as "stooping", approaching {{convert|300|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.{{cite journal |last1=Schwab |first1=I R |last2=Maggs |first2=D |title=The falcon's stoop |journal=The British Journal of Ophthalmology |date=January 2004 |volume=88 |issue=1 |pages=4 |doi=10.1136/bjo.88.1.4 |pmid=14740627 |pmc=1771963 |issn=0007-1161|doi-access=free }} The saker falcon is the national bird of Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, and Mongolia. It is called by Arabs Hur, i.e., "Free-bird",{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} and it has been used in falconry in the Arabian Peninsula since ancient times. Saker falcons are the national bird of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Yemen and have been integral to Arab heritage and culture for over 9,000 years. They are the national emblem of many Arab countries.{{ Cite journal|title=Why peregrine falcons are the ultimate status symbol in the Middle East|url=
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/society/peregrine-falcons-ultimate-status-symbol-middle-east/#:~:text=Falcons%20are%20the%20national%20bird,symbol%20of%20power%20and%20strength.|journal= The Telegraph| date=20 June 2021 | last1=Syz | first1=Francesca }}{{ cite web|url=https://www.ead.gov.ae/en/Discover-Our-Biodiversity/Birds/Saker-Falcon|title= Saker Falcon entry at Abu Dhabi Environment division}}
Taxonomy and systematics
This species belongs to the close-knit hierofalcon complex. In this group, there is ample evidence for rampant hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting which confounds analyses of DNA sequence data to a massive extent; molecular studies with small sample sizes can simply not be expected to yield reliable conclusions in the entire hierofalcon group. The radiation of the entire living diversity of hierofalcons seems to have taken place in the Eemian interglacial at the start of the Late Pleistocene, a mere 130,000–115,000 years ago; the saker falcon represents a lineage that expanded out of northeastern Africa into the interior of southeastern Europe and Asia, by way of the eastern Mediterranean region.
The Saker Falcon has four officially recognized subspecies in the international ornithology according to [https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/falcons/ IOC World Bird List]:
- F.c. cherrug - the nominate subspecies distributed from Central Europe to Central Asia;
- F.c. coatsi - a subspecies of the desert regions of West and South Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan;
- F.c. milvipes - the typical subspecies widespread in most parts of Central Asia;
- F.c. hendersoni - the subspecies of high elevations of Tibet and the Qinghai Plateau.
Some saker falcons at the northeast edge of the range in the Altai Mountains are slightly larger, and darker and more heavily spotted on the underparts. These, known as the Altai falcon, have been treated in the past either as a distinct species "Falco altaicus" or as a hybrid between saker falcon and gyrfalcon. However, modern opinion (e.g. {{harv|Orta|1994}}) treats them as a form of saker falcons and new research in population genetics and ecology supports that view. According to a [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-44534-4 recent study], Altai falcons are genetically intermingled with the broader Asian Saker population and do not constitute a distinct cluster, indicating that they are only colour morphs, and do not represent a separate taxonomic entity.
In captivity, lanners and sakers can interbreed, and gyrfalcon-saker hybrids are also available (see bird flu experiment described in "Ecology and status").
The specific name, cherrug, comes from the Sindhi name charg for a female saker. The common name saker comes from the ({{Langx|ar|صقر|translit=Ṣaqr}}) meaning "falcon".
Description
The saker falcon is a large hierofalcon, larger than the lanner falcon and almost as large as gyrfalcon at {{Convert|45|–|57|cm|in|abbr=on}} length with a wingspan of {{convert|97|–|126|cm|in|abbr=on}}. Males weigh between {{convert|730|-|990|g|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|970|-|1300|g|abbr=on}}. It resembles a larger but browner Gyrfalcon. It is larger and more heavily built than the related Lanner Falcon.Orta, J., Boesman, P., Sharpe, C.J. & Marks, J.S. (2019). Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53244 on 15 February 2019).
Saker falcons tend to have variable plumage. Males and females are similar, except in size, as are young birds, although these tend to be darker and more heavily streaked. The call is a sharp kiy-ee or a repeated kyak-kyak-kyak.
Ecology
The saker falcon is a raptor of open grasslands preferably with some trees or cliffs. It often hunts by horizontal pursuit, rather than the peregrine's stoop from a height, and feeds mainly on rodents and birds. In Europe, ground squirrels and feral pigeons are the most common prey items. This species usually builds no nest of own, but lays its 3–6 eggs in an old stick nest in a tree which was previously used by other birds such as storks, ravens or buzzards. It also often nests on cliffs.
Saker nests support a species-rich assemblage of commensal insects.
Status and conservation
BirdLife International categorises this bird as endangered, due to a rapid population decline, particularly on the central Asian breeding grounds. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United Arab Emirates have been the main destination for thousands of falcons caught and sold illegally for hefty sums at the black market. Kazakhstan is estimated to lose up to 1,000 saker falcons per year.
The species also faces pressure from habitat loss and destruction. The population was estimated to be between 7,200 and 8,800 mature individuals in 2004. However, sakers live at low densities across large ranges in remote regions, making distribution status difficult to assess. A climatic niche modelling study pinpointed certain remote areas for targeted population surveys.{{Cite journal|last1=Sutton|first1=Luke J.|last2=Puschendorf|first2=Robert|date=2020|title=Climatic niche of the Saker Falcon Falco cherrug: predicted new areas to direct population surveys in Central Asia|journal=Ibis|volume=162|issue=1|pages=27–41|doi=10.1111/ibi.12700|issn=1474-919X|hdl=10026.1/13028|s2cid=92029395 |hdl-access=free}} In the United States, Canada and Europe there are several captive breeding projects. The most dramatic decline of the saker falcon in Asia has been in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In contrast, a strongly protected and relatively abundant population persists in Hungary.
Saker falcons are known to be very susceptible to avian influenza, individuals having been found infected with highly pathogenic H5N1 (in Saudi Arabia) and H7N7 (in Italy) strains. Therefore, an experiment was done with hybrid gyr-saker falcons, which found that five falcons vaccinated with a commercial H5N2 influenza vaccine survived infection with a highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, whereas five unvaccinated falcons died. This means that sakers could be protected from bird flu by vaccination, at least in captivity.
Faucon sacre MHNT.jpg|Egg
Saker Falcon RWD3.jpg|Captive, Carolina Raptor Center, United States
Saker_Falcon_RWD4.jpg|Captive, Carolina Raptor Center
Sakerfalcon.JPG|Captive bird, Chew Valley Lake, England
Сокол балобан на обучении (Falco cherrug).jpg|Falcon training in Moscow
Falco cherrug Qatar.jpg|Captive bird, Doha, Qatar
Aa_saker_female.jpg|Captive bird
Sakerfalke beim Wenden in der Luft - Zuschnitt.jpg|Flying bird at bird show
In culture
File:Turul-Tb-front.jpg) monument at Tatabánya, Hungary.]]
A Hungarian mythological bird, the Turul, was probably a saker falcon (kerecsensólyom), and the saker falcon is the national bird of Hungary.{{cite journal |last1=KissPál |first1=Szabolcs |title=The Rise of a Fallen Feather: The Symbolism of the Turul Bird in Contemporary Hungary |journal=E-flux Journal |date=2014 |volume=56 |url=https://www.e-flux.com/journal/56/60354/the-rise-of-a-fallen-feather-the-symbolism-of-the-turul-bird-in-contemporary-hungary/}}{{cite journal |url=http://www.mefrg.org/images/falco/falco17.pdf |first=Laco |last=Molnar |title=Saker Falcon protection in Eastern Europe |journal=Falco |issue=17 |date=January 2000 |page=7 |issn=1608-1544}} In 2012, the saker falcon was selected as the national bird of Mongolia.{{cite web|url=http://mos.mn/index.php?mm=news&task=view&id=29|title=Saker Falcon – National Bird for Mongolia}}
=Use in [[falconry]]=
The saker falcon has been used in falconry for thousands of years, and like its very close relative, the gyrfalcon, is a highly regarded in it. Swift and powerful, it is effective against medium-sized to large-sized game bird species. Saker falcons can reach speeds of 120 to 150 km/h and suddenly swoop down on their prey.{{cite web|url=https://saker-info.at/biology.html |title=The Saker Falcon in Austria/biology |access-date=2020-12-27}} The saker falcon and peregrine falcon can be hybridised to provide falcons used in the control of larger birds considered pests.{{cite web |title=Hybrid Birds of Prey |url=https://raptoriduk.tripod.com/hybrid_raptors.htm |access-date=27 May 2023}}{{cite web |title=Hybrid Falcons |url=https://effectivebirdcontrol.co.uk/the-hawks-we-fly/hybrid-falcons/ |website=Effective Bird Control |access-date=27 May 2023}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names |last=Jobling |first=James A. |year=1991 |publisher=OUP |isbn=0-19-854634-3}}
}}
{{Refbegin}}
- {{cite encyclopedia |last=Orta |first=Jaume |year=1994 |number=57 |entry=Saker Falcon |editor1-last=del Hoyo |editor1-first=Josep |editor2-last=Elliott |editor2-first=Andrew |editor3-last=Sargatal |editor3-first=Jordi |title=Handbook of Birds of the World |volume=2: New World Vultures to Guineafowl |pages=[https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/273 273–274, plate 28] |publisher=Lynx Edicions |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-87334-15-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/273 }}
- {{cite journal |last1=Tomek |first1=Teresa |last2=Bocheński |first2=Zygmunt |year=2005 |title=Weichselian and Holocene bird remains from Komarowa Cave, Central Poland |journal=Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia |volume=48A |issue=1–2 |pages=43–65 |url=http://www.isez.pan.krakow.pl/journals/azc_v/pdf/48A%281-2%29/05.pdf|doi=10.3409/173491505783995743 }}
{{Refend}}
External links
{{Commons category|Falco cherrug}}
{{Wikispecies|Falco cherrug}}
- [http://saker.sciencefornature.org/ saker.sciencefornature.org]
- {{BirdLife|22696495|Falco cherrug}}
- [http://sakerlife2.mme.hu/en/content/webcam-1 Live 24hr view of a saker falcon nest]
- {{Avibase|name=Falco cherrug}}
- {{InternetBirdCollection|saker-falcon-falco-cherrug}}
- {{VIREO|Saker+Falcon}}
- {{Xeno-canto species|Falco|cherrug|Saker falcon}}
- [https://www.cms.int/sites/default/files/document/SakerGAP_e.pdf Saker Falcon Falco cherrug Global Action Plan (SakerGAP)]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q165974}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Birds of Central Asia
Category:Birds of prey of Eurasia
Category:Birds of the Arabian Peninsula
Category:National symbols of Ethiopia
Category:National symbols of Hungary