FALCO The Newsletter of the Middle East Falcon Research Group Issue No. 13 January 1999 INTHIS ISSUE: Page 2 Editorial and MEFRG Objectives 3 1998 Falcon and Houbara Conference Report Dr Nick Fox 6 The 5th World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls 7 The 3rd International Raptor Biomedical Conference Dr Jaime Samour 8 Negative Feedback Dr Nigel Barton 10 The Paradox of Industrialisation in Mongolia: the expansion of sakers into open regions is dependent on industrial activity Dr Eugene Potapov 13 The Scale of Production and Use of Hybrid Falcons in Falconry International Hybrid Committee 15 The Black Shaheen in Sri Lanka:report from the 1997 field season Hermann Döttlinger 18 Species concepts and their relevance to the taxonomy of desert falcons Chris Eastham 21 The Saker Falcon Adapted from Book 24 of De Animalibus by Albertus Magnus 21 Clipped wings:extracts from the press Immature black gyr x saker 22 Book Review:Holarctic Birds of Prey: Proceedings of an International FALCO is published quarterly and contains papers, reports, letters and announcements Conference submitted by Middle East Falcon Research Group Members. Contributions are not refereed: although every effort is made to ensure information contained within FALCO is correct, the editor cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of contributions. Opinions expressed within are those of the individual authors and not necessarily shared by the editor. Editorial MEFRG Objectives: To provide: A central body for the co-ordination of research activities related to falcons and falconry. A common forum for the exchange of information and for promoting collaborative research programmes. Welcome to To promote: the Winter 1998 edition Research on health and disease in falcons, falcon of FALCO. The moulting in the Middle East, falcon nutrition, changes continue domestic breeding. apace! Our new logo is Field studies on falcon migration, taxonomy, mor- taken from a photograph of an immature phometrics, reproductive biology and behaviour. captive-bred white female gyrfalcon in Improved management conditions for captive flight. We’ve also changed the typeface to falcons through educational awareness programmes. fit more information into FALCO’s pages. Greater understanding of falconry as a part of Arab cultural heritage. This issue contains material on a wide variety of subjects: from conference reports to To hold: falcon fieldwork; from papers on modern taxonomic concepts to falcon trapping in Saudi Arabia. Regional workshops on veterinary medical aspects, An encouraging report comes from the Lahore falcon biology topics, falconry and conservation Conference on falcon and houbara issues (page issues. 4):such international co-operation in this field bodes International Conferences on veterinary medical well for the future. aspects, falcon biology topics, falconry and conserva- tion issues. I would like to stress the importance to the MEFRG- and falcon conservation - of obtaining microchip (PIT) To publish: and ringing data. For several years, fieldworkers and researchers such as Robert Kenward in Kazakhstan, Joint papers on aspects of falcon conservation, David Ellis in Mongolia, NARC fieldworkers in Russia, falcons and falconry. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Siberia, have A quarterly newsletter/journal containing contribu- been ringing birds to ascertain migration routes and tions on medical, biological and conservation topics as part of an attempt to understand harvest and of common interest, new developments and recent survival rates of young and adult birds. This data is medical advances. essential to future conservation efforts. Please, if you have any such records, forward them to the MEFRG, c/o Chris Eastham,at the editorial address, where Membership they will be databased for conservation purposes. If you have any queries about the database, please Membership is open to any veterinary surgeon, contact Chris. Thank you. biologist, conservationist or falconer working in the Middle East or any other person interested and con- This issue is being translated into Arabic and Russian tributing in the fields of medical, biological and con- editions. FALCO is also available on-line at the servation aspects of falcons and falconry worldwide. ERWDA website http://www.erwda.gov.ae Enquiries and Editorial Address: On a personal note, this is my last issue as editor of FALCO; Iwill shortly be leaving to work on a PhD on The Editor, FALCO the history of raptor conservation. I’d like to thank all those who have contributed to this and previous The Falcon Facility issues. Please send your contributions for the next POBox 19, Carmarthen issue to ‘The Editor, FALCO’ at the current editorial SA33 5YL, Wales UK address. Tel/Fax: (44) 1267 233684 email: [email protected] Helen Macdonald 2 1998 Falcon and Houbara Conference Dr Nick Fox The government has made attempts to stop the Director of Falcon Research and Management smuggling: in 1998, Syrians were twice caught National Avian ResearchCenter (Abu Dhabi) smuggling falcons at airport customs. The National The Falcon Facility, Penllynin Farm, College Road, Avian Research Center began a monitoring program Carmarthen SA33 5EH,Wales, UK in Kyrgyzstan in 1998 but had problems with the email:[email protected] personnel on the Kyrgyz side. New personnel will be contracted in 1999. The notorious Pakistan falcon The Conference was held on 30 and 31 October trader, Omar Farouk, has set up a joint venture on 1998 in Lahore, Pakistan. Hosted by Brigadier falcons in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan has little suitable Mukhtar Ahmed of the Houbara Foundation Pakistan habitat for houbara, although the species migrates and the Falcon Foundation Pakistan, it was opened through the northern part of the country in the by the Chief Minister for the Punjab. Delegates autumn. included Ministry officials and specialist biologists from Afghanistan, China, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Dr Levin reported on the situation in Kazakstan. Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates and Pre-1990 the population of sakers in Kazakstan was Uzbekistan. Biologists reported on the status of saker estimated at 5-10,000 pairs. Today, the saker is in falcon and houbara bustard in their own countries. a critical position in many parts of Kazakstan due to the trapping of both young and breeding birds. The Afghanistan National Avian Research Center saker monitoring Abdul Wajid reported that no institutions are programme is continuing there. Dr Boris Gubin functioning for conservation efforts in Afghanistan. reported that 70% of the world population of houbara Falconry has been practiced for centuries in are found in Kazakstan. The inclusion of the houbara Afghanistan on a sustainable basis, hunting many in the Red Data Book has not helped the species but species of birds, but rarely Houbara. Twenty-two years simply made it more difficult to work and to publish ago, Arab falconers began hawking in Afghanistan material on houbara. A lack of finance means that legally and sustainably in agreement with the protected areas are less well wardened than before, Government. With the current war, no practical con- and there are no funds to support a study on houbara servation law is being enforced, and doors are open or to initiate a conservation programme on the to poaching and corruption. The Taliban is reluctant species. He called for a co-ordinated study of houbara to stop the hunting and the income it brings, and in central Asia and the establishment of protected shepherds report that numbers of houbara are areas and controls on hunting decreasing. Falcons are being trapped over about 60% of the land area of Afghanistan and are smuggled Russia to dealers in Pakistan. Poverty-ridden local people Professor Galushin of the Russian Bird Conservation are not benefiting from this trade. There are no Union reported on the monitoring programme carried public awareness programmes on these issues, and out in 1997 and 1998 as part of the National Avian many other species of raptors are trapped by people Research Center’s saker programme. Field expeditions believing they are falcons. revealed a retreat of the saker population from many of its western areas. Many lowland saker populations Uzbekistan fluctuate with changes in food supply such as susliks, Dr Elena Kruezberg reported that a project by UAE whereas the Altai population, living on Daurian falconers to breed houbara in captivity is underway pikas, has been more stable. The main strongholds in Uzbekistan. Falconry is practised in Uzbekistan, for sakers in Russia are now in the Altai and Tuva and its saker populations are both migratory and regions, with smaller populations in the middle resident. Following the publication of high falcon Volga and Crimea. The current range is only about prices, large numbers of people attempted to trap 1/20th of reports from 20 years ago. Galushin’s total falcons and other raptors including eagles. Trapping estimate for the whole of Russia was 2-3000 pairs. activity has declined somewhat over the last couple of He estimated that the decline is partly due to a loss years, with the realisation that there was no market of saker prey-base: mammal populations have been for these birds. A breeding project for falcons exists affected by changes in land use. Decline has also which bred 11 sakers in 1996 and 50 in 1998. These resulted from the trapping of up to 1000 sakers a have been used to increase the numbers of breeding year, many by Syrian students in Southern Siberia. In stock. Eventually production will be used for releasing 1997, 200 sakers were confiscated; in 1998, 50, but birds into the wild. many more were smuggled without being caught. In the Trans-Baikal area, sakers often nest in the nests Kyrgyzstan of Imperial Eagles. This population is also on the Mr Kuvan Kasiev, Chief of the Kyrgyz Department decline. of Biodiversity and Nature Reserves, explained that falconry using eagles, falcons and goshawks Tajikistan is traditional in Kyrgyzstan.