Back Falco cherrug AN صقر الغزال Arabic صقر الغزال ARZ Ütəlgi qızılquş Azerbaijani اۆتلگی قیزیلقۇش AZB Балабан Bashkir Ловен сокол Bulgarian Falc'hun sakr Breton Falcó sacre Catalan Falco cherrug CEB
 | This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: cite. (November 2016) |
| Saker falcon | |
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| In Tibet | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Falconiformes |
| Family: | Falconidae |
| Genus: | Falco |
| Subgenus: | Hierofalco |
| Species: | F. cherrug
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| Binomial name | |
| Falco cherrug Gray, JE, 1834
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| Range of F. cherrug Breeding Resident Passage Non-breeding
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| Synonyms | |
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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 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.[2]
The saker falcon is the second fastest bird in level flight after the white-throated needletail swift (unconfirmed), capable of reaching 150 km/h (93 mph). 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 300 km/h (190 mph).[3] 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] 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.[4][5]
- ^ BirdLife International (2021). "Falco cherrug". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22696495A204182473. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22696495A204182473.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Saker Falcon entry at Abu Dhabi Environment division".
- ^ Schwab, I R; Maggs, D (January 2004). "The falcon's stoop". The British Journal of Ophthalmology. 88 (1): 4. doi:10.1136/bjo.88.1.4. ISSN 0007-1161. PMC 1771963. PMID 14740627.
- ^ Syz, Francesca (20 June 2021). "Why peregrine falcons are the ultimate status symbol in the Middle East". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Saker Falcon entry at Abu Dhabi Environment division".