© Dr Sundev Gombobaatar
The Saker Falcon, Falco cherrug, is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. This large widespread species breeds from eastern Europe to western China. Once the breeding season is over, many populations migrate further south and spend winter in China, India, the Mediterranean, Middle East, and parts of Africa.
This raptor has undergone a rapid population decline, particularly in the Middle East and Geographical range Asia, where the main threat to the species is unsustainable trapping for the falconry trade. www.iucnredlist.org In Europe, the Saker Falcon also faces habitat loss and degradation due to agricultural www.birdlife.org expansion, pesticide use and a decline in sheep pastoralism, which has reduced suitable Help Save Species hunting grounds and the availability of prey. Hybridisation with escaped or released hybrid www.arkive.org falcons could also influence the genetic integrity of the wild population.
The Saker Falcon is legally protected across much of its range, and efforts have been made to control illegal capture and trade in this species. However, more enforcement is needed. Some countries, including the UAE, are using captive breeding to reduce the demand for wild-caught birds. Further conservation measures for this species include the construction of artificial nests and research into its populations and ecology.
The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership.