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Falco cherrug
– Endangered
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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AVES
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Order:
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FALCONIFORMES
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Family:
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FALCONIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Falco cherrug
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Species Authority:
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Gray, 1834
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Common Name/s:
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SAKER FALCON (Eng)
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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EN A2bcd+3bcd ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2004
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Collar, N. & Butchart, S. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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This species qualifies as Endangered because it has undergone a very rapid population decline, particularly on the central Asian breeding grounds, owing to inadequately controlled capture for the falconry trade.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Near-threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 2000 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2000) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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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, Belarus, 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 countries3,4,6,9,11. The global population was estimated to be 8,500-12,000 pairs in 1990 compared to 3,600-4,400 pairs for 20036. The population is therefore estimated to have declined by 48-70% over this period, with a best estimate (between median estimates for 1990 and 2003) of 61%. Declines for the following countries give particular cause for concern: Kazakhstan (90% decline from median of 1990 estimates to median of 2003 estimates), Uzbekistan (90% decline), Russian Federation (69%), Kyrgyzstan (68%) and Mongolia (59%)6. Assuming a generation length of five years and that the decline of the Saker began (at least in some areas) in the 1970s and 1980s (consumption of Sakers in the Middle East was heavy by mid-1980s), the declines over 13 years equate to 66% over 15 years (based on median estimates), with a minimum-maximum of 53-75%.
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Range Map:
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 (click for detailed map)
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Countries:
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Native:
Afghanistan; Armenia; Austria; Bahrain; Belarus; Bulgaria; China; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Egypt; Ethiopia; Hungary; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kenya; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Malta; Mauritania; Moldova, Republic of; Mongolia; Montenegro; Nepal; Oman; Pakistan; Romania; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Serbia; Slovakia; Spain; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkey; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; Uzbekistan; Yemen
Vagrant:
Albania; Bangladesh; Burundi; Cameroon; Chad; Denmark; Djibouti; Eritrea; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Korea, Republic of; Lebanon; Mali; Morocco; Poland; Qatar; Senegal; Sweden; Tanzania, United Republic of
Regionally extinct:
Turkmenistan
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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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 Europe3,11. It uses copses or cliffs for nest sites (sometimes even the ground), occupying the old nests of other birds3,11. Clutch sizes varies from two to six, with means from 3.2 to 3.9 in different circumstances3,11. 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 winter3,11.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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Threats
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Threats:
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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 problem3,4. 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 part2,3,5,6,7,9,10. Estimated numbers of Sakers trapped annually for Middle East falconers are 4,000 Saudi Arabia, 1,000 Qatar and 500-1,000 each Bahrain, Kuwait and UAE, which, allowing for a 5% mortality prior to receipt, indicates an annual consumption of 6,825-8,400 birds6,7. Of these, the great majority (77%) are 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 population6,7.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
The Saker is a protected and red-listed species in many range states, particularly in the western parts of its range3,4. 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 birds8,10. Clinics have also been set up to improve the longevity and availability of wild-caught birds in various Gulf states1,10. New research programmes in many parts of the range have begun to establish baseline data on distribution, population, ecology and threats.
Conservation measures proposed:
In western parts of range: maintain or implement programmes of population and habitat management; maintain or improve systems of wardening and customs control (including DNA sampling to check provenance of traded birds); continue key biological researches3,4. In Middle East and Asia, enforce CITES; 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 environments1,3,6,7.
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