Falco cherrug

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	FALCONIFORMES	FALCONIDAE

Scientific Name:

Falco cherrug

Species Authority:

Gray, 1834

Common Name/s:

English	–	Saker, Saker Falcon
French	–	Faucon sacre

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable A2bcd+3cd+4bcd ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2010

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Butchart, S., Collar, N. & Symes, A.

Contributor/s:

Andersen, M., Balazs, I., Burfield, I., Dixon, A., Fox, N., Galushin, V., Kamp, J., Karyakin, I., Katzner, T., Kenward, R., Kovács, A., Levin, A., Nagy, S., Nikolenko, E., Onon, Y., Pechacek, P., Potapov, E., Sandor, A., Shobrak, M. & Spasov, S.

Justification:
This species has been reclassified as Vulnerable because a recent analysis of all available data suggests that declines have been less severe than was previously suspected. It has nevertheless undergone a rapid population decline, particularly on the central Asian breeding grounds, owing to unsustainable capture for the falconry trade, as well as habitat degradation and the impacts of agrochemicals. Further research to monitor key populations and to clarify the extent of the threat from trapping and its effect on population trends is vital.

History:

2008	–	Endangered
2004	–	Endangered
1988	–	Near Threatened

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Falco cherrug occurs in a wide range across the Palearctic region from eastern Europe to western China, breeding in Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia & Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Turkey, Iraq, Armenia, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, and at least formerly in Turkmenistan and probably Afghanistan, possibly India (Ladakh), with wintering or passage populations regularly in Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, with much smaller numbers or vagrants reaching many other countries^3,4,6,9,11. The historical global population size remains subject to some uncertainty, however a recent analysis of available data resulted in a revised global population estimate of 13,000-27,000 breeding pairs in 1990, with the majority in China (4,000-6,000 pairs), Kazakhstan (2,000-5,000), Mongolia (3,000-5,000) and Russia (3,000-9,000); and a total population of 9,500-17,000 pairs in 2010 (China 3,000-5,000, Kazakhstan 2,000-3,000, Mongolia 2,000-5,000 and Russia (1,854-2,542)¹⁵. Assuming a generation length of 6.4 years and that the decline of the Saker had already begun (at least in some areas) prior to the 1990s (consumption of Sakers in the Middle East was heavy by mid-1980s), the declines over the 19 year period 1991-2010 equate to 32% (based on median estimates), with a minimum-maximum of 29-62%¹⁵.
Countries:	Native: Afghanistan; Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bulgaria; China; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Georgia; Greece; Hungary; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lebanon; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Mali; Malta; Mauritania; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Nepal; Oman; Pakistan; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Serbia; Slovakia; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkey; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; Uzbekistan; Yemen Possibly extinct: Germany Vagrant: Albania; Bangladesh; Burundi; Cameroon; Denmark; Djibouti; Finland; France; Korea, Republic of; Morocco; Senegal; Spain; Sweden; Tanzania, United Republic of Present - origin uncertain: Chad; Niger; Qatar
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Based on estimates of 9,600-17,000 breeding pairs (BirdLife International unpublished data, 2010).
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The Saker is physically adapted to hunting close to the ground in open terrain, combining rapid acceleration with high manoeuvrability, thus specialising on mid-sized diurnal terrestrial rodents (especially ground squirrels Citellus) of open grassy landscapes such as desert edge, semi-desert, steppes and arid montane areas; in some areas, particularly near water, it switches to birds as key prey, and has recently substituted domestic pigeons for rodents in parts of Europe^3,11. It uses copses or cliffs for nest sites (sometimes even the ground), occupying the old nests of other birds^3,11. Clutch sizes varies from two to six, with means from 3.2 to 3.9 in different circumstances^3,11. Breeding success varies with year (especially in areas where rodents cycle)^3,11. Birds are sedentary, part-migratory or fully migratory, largely depending on the extent to which food supply in breeding areas disappears in winter^3,11.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

The Saker is physically adapted to hunting close to the ground in open terrain, combining rapid acceleration with high manoeuvrability, thus specialising on mid-sized diurnal terrestrial rodents (especially ground squirrels Citellus) of open grassy landscapes such as desert edge, semi-desert, steppes and arid montane areas; in some areas, particularly near water, it switches to birds as key prey, and has recently substituted domestic pigeons for rodents in parts of Europe^3,11. It uses copses or cliffs for nest sites (sometimes even the ground), occupying the old nests of other birds^3,11. Clutch sizes varies from two to six, with means from 3.2 to 3.9 in different circumstances^3,11. Breeding success varies with year (especially in areas where rodents cycle)^3,11. Birds are sedentary, part-migratory or fully migratory, largely depending on the extent to which food supply in breeding areas disappears in winter^3,11.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	In Europe the Saker has suffered mainly from the loss and degradation of steppes and dry grasslands through agricultural intensification, plantation establishment and declines in sheep pastoralism, causing a decline in key prey species; offtake for falconry is also a problem, which has caused local extinctions^3,4,13. In eastern Hungary, landscape reversion following the abandonment of agriculture could have a negative influence, as most prey species require short swards that are maintained by agricultural practices¹². Elsewhere declines are mainly attributable to offtake for falconry, although human persecution, pesticide use (notably in Mongolia in 2003) and agrochemical deployment play a lesser part^{2,3,5,6,7,9,10}. The number of Sakers trapped annually for Middle East falconers has been estimated at 4,000 in Saudi Arabia, 1,000 in Qatar and 500-1,000 in each of Bahrain, Kuwait and UAE, which, allowing for a 5% mortality prior to receipt, indicates an annual consumption of 6,825-8,400 birds^6,7. Of these, the great majority (77%) were believed to be juvenile females, followed by 19% adult females, 3% juvenile males and 1% adult males, potentially creating a major bias in the wild population^6,7. Another study however gives a far lower estimate for numbers legally trapped in Saudi Arabia, at an average of 22 birds per year in the period 2002-2009¹⁷. Hybridisation with escaped or released hybrid falcons could influence the genetic integrity of wild populations^{12, 14}.

Major Threat(s):

In Europe the Saker has suffered mainly from the loss and degradation of steppes and dry grasslands through agricultural intensification, plantation establishment and declines in sheep pastoralism, causing a decline in key prey species; offtake for falconry is also a problem, which has caused local extinctions^3,4,13. In eastern Hungary, landscape reversion following the abandonment of agriculture could have a negative influence, as most prey species require short swards that are maintained by agricultural practices¹². Elsewhere declines are mainly attributable to offtake for falconry, although human persecution, pesticide use (notably in Mongolia in 2003) and agrochemical deployment play a lesser part^{2,3,5,6,7,9,10}. The number of Sakers trapped annually for Middle East falconers has been estimated at 4,000 in Saudi Arabia, 1,000 in Qatar and 500-1,000 in each of Bahrain, Kuwait and UAE, which, allowing for a 5% mortality prior to receipt, indicates an annual consumption of 6,825-8,400 birds^6,7. Of these, the great majority (77%) were believed to be juvenile females, followed by 19% adult females, 3% juvenile males and 1% adult males, potentially creating a major bias in the wild population^6,7. Another study however gives a far lower estimate for numbers legally trapped in Saudi Arabia, at an average of 22 birds per year in the period 2002-2009¹⁷. Hybridisation with escaped or released hybrid falcons could influence the genetic integrity of wild populations^{12, 14}.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Conservation Actions Underway The Saker is a protected and red-listed species in many range states, particularly in the western parts of its range^3,4. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, and in 2002 CITES imposed a trade ban on UAE, strongly affecting the unregulated market there⁷. Intensive wardening and management has produced a steadily rising population in Hungary⁴. Controls of illegal trade were implemented in various countries in western range in 1990s⁴. Captive breeding has developed strongly in some countries including UAE as a means of substituting farmed for wild-caught birds^8,10. Clinics have also been set up to improve the longevity and availability of wild-caught birds in various Gulf states^1,10. New research programmes in many parts of the range have begun to establish baseline data on distribution, population, ecology and threats. In Mongolia the process of erecting 5,000 artificial nests has begun, funded by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, which are predicted to provide nesting sites for up to 500 pairs of Sakers by 2015¹⁶. Conservation Actions Proposed Maintain or implement programmes of population and habitat management throughout the range. Maintain or improve systems of wardening and customs control (including DNA sampling to check provenance of traded birds). Continue key biological researches^3,4. Enforce CITES regulations, particularly in the Middle East and Asia. Improve exportation standards including meeting IATA transportation specifications. Improve import regulations, staff capacity and practices (quarantine facilities). Monitor markets to quantify falcon trade. Develop existing microchipping schemes to help monitor and regulate trade and quantify its effects. Increase awareness of health and conservation issues among falconers. Continue studying, monitoring and censusing falcons throughout. Maintain ecologically and socially sustainable grazing systems to ensure long-term survival of key prey species. Bring greater protection (against conversion, degradation and pollution) to key breeding environments^1,3,6,7.

Conservation Actions:

Conservation Actions Underway
The Saker is a protected and red-listed species in many range states, particularly in the western parts of its range^3,4. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, and in 2002 CITES imposed a trade ban on UAE, strongly affecting the unregulated market there⁷. Intensive wardening and management has produced a steadily rising population in Hungary⁴. Controls of illegal trade were implemented in various countries in western range in 1990s⁴. Captive breeding has developed strongly in some countries including UAE as a means of substituting farmed for wild-caught birds^8,10. Clinics have also been set up to improve the longevity and availability of wild-caught birds in various Gulf states^1,10. New research programmes in many parts of the range have begun to establish baseline data on distribution, population, ecology and threats. In Mongolia the process of erecting 5,000 artificial nests has begun, funded by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, which are predicted to provide nesting sites for up to 500 pairs of Sakers by 2015¹⁶.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Maintain or implement programmes of population and habitat management throughout the range. Maintain or improve systems of wardening and customs control (including DNA sampling to check provenance of traded birds). Continue key biological researches^3,4. Enforce CITES regulations, particularly in the Middle East and Asia. Improve exportation standards including meeting IATA transportation specifications. Improve import regulations, staff capacity and practices (quarantine facilities). Monitor markets to quantify falcon trade. Develop existing microchipping schemes to help monitor and regulate trade and quantify its effects. Increase awareness of health and conservation issues among falconers. Continue studying, monitoring and censusing falcons throughout. Maintain ecologically and socially sustainable grazing systems to ensure long-term survival of key prey species. Bring greater protection (against conversion, degradation and pollution) to key breeding environments^1,3,6,7.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2010. Falco cherrug. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 February 2012.
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