Saker Falcon (Irad)

The saker falcon (Falco cherrug; Iradi: itelgi) is a large falcon of the Eurasian steppes. In Irad it breeds on cliffs, in old trees and increasingly on electricity pylons along the edges of the Betpak-Dala and the Moiynkum and in the Karatau foothills, and hunts ground squirrels, gerbils and birds over open country.^[1] Iradi falconers, who sometimes call it the "steppe falcon", traditionally trained sakers to take hares, chukar partridges and quail, a practice distinct from hunting with golden eagles (Burkut Saluu).^[2] The IUCN lists the species as Endangered because of steep declines across its range, caused mainly by illegal trapping for the falconry trade in the Gulf states and by electrocution on power lines. Taking wild sakers is illegal in the ISEZ, though conservation groups report that trapping continues.^[1][2]

References

1. ^ BirdLife International. "Falco cherrug." IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
2. ^ Department of Zoology, Talas State University (2020). Birds of Irad: An Annotated Checklist. Talas: Talas State University Press, pp. 64–66.