Falco 27 - International Wildlife Consultants Ltd.

An Ecological Study on Hunting Falcon Species and theirProtection in Saudi ArabiaMonif M. Z. AlrashidiLecturer, Science Department, Teachers College, Hail City,Saudi Arabia. E-mail: mm_alrashedi@yahoo.comSummaryFalconry is a widespread sport and hobby within SaudiArabia. Four species of falcons are used for hunting inSaudi Arabia: Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug), PeregrineFalcon (Falco peregrinus), Lanner Falcon (Falcobiarmicus) and Barbary Falcon (Falco pelegrinoides).This study was conducted from October 2001 untilDecember 2003. Field surveys and questionnaireswere used to (i) identify the geographical distributionof the four hunting falcon species in Saudi Arabia,(ii) to define their natural habitats, (iii) the timing oftheir breeding, migration and moulting seasons. I alsopropose methods for the protection of these importantspecies in Saudi Arabia.IntroductionFour falcon species are used for hunting in SaudiArabia: Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug), Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus), Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus)and Barbary Falcon (Falco pelegrinoides). Falconryis one of the most common known traditions for thepeople of Arabian Peninsula. It has been known for itsimportance to nomads (Bedouins) because it providedfood for them. Different people – high or even lowerranks - used falcons for different purposes such as ahunting sport, luxury or as a lovely hobby.Although falconry is a lovely hobby, a falconer needs tohave some characteristics for doing such a job such asa sufficient experience and money. The cost of moneycan vary from one falcon to another according to theexternal appearance and its ability to hunt .The SakerFalcon is considered as the best one. The PeregrineFalcon comes in the second rank, then follows LannerFalcon and Barbary Falcon.MethodsThis study was conducted from October 2001 until December2003 and resulted in a thesis submitted in partial fulfilmentof the requirements for an MSc degree at the Department ofBiological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdul-AzizUniversity, Jeddah.I studied the breeding behaviour of a pair of BarbaryFalcons nesting in the Jabal Al-Khitam, MadinahDistrict.I recorded the weight (g), wing length (mm), tail length(mm) and tarsus length (mm) for captive specimensof the four falcon species studied. I did not separateFigure 1.biometric data between sexes in order to avoid makingany wrong allocation of sex because I did not have moresufficient information to distinguish between male andfemale.Data on the timing of moult was obtained from recordsof captive birds only, with exception of the BarbaryFalcon, which was studied both in the wild and incaptivity.Questionnaires were sent to falconers requestinginformation on:- Why do you use falconry? How longhave you been using falconry? How many falcons doyou have? What is the longest period of time you kepta falcon? How many falcons did you hunt by yourself?Do you agree or disagree on the following: one of thereasons of decreasing the number falcons is keeping afalcon for a long time, the high cost of falcons and theincreasing number of hunters of falcons.ResultsDistribution of falcon species in Saudi Arabia:The two migratory species covered in this study,namely Peregrine Falcon and Saker Falcon, occurredduring autumn migration in many habitats whenevertheir favoured prey was available. However, theirdistribution is concentrated along the Red Sea coast inthe west of the country. Their autumn migration seasonstarted from September and lasted until December, withthe peak period of migration taking place in October.Adult Peregrine Falcons arrived earlier than immaturebirds, whilst for Saker Falcons the reverse was true andimmature birds reached Saudi Arabia before adults.