The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia serves as a bridge between the two continents of Asia and Africa. Its strategic geographical location makes it one of the most important migration routes for birds from north to south and east to west.
The National Center for Wildlife has recorded numerous bird species that settle in the Kingdom to breed, with a total of five hundred bird species. Nineteen of these species are native to the Kingdom and live in the Hejaz and Aseer mountains. Among the rarest endemic bird species in the Kingdom are:
Aseer Magpie (Pica asirensis):
It is classified as one of the rarest birds in the world, with the current population in the Kingdom not exceeding one hundred pairs. They breed in Aseer Province and inhabit elevations above 2,100 m in juniper forests.
Lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus):
The Saudi Falcons Club has taken care of several lanner falcon chicks and other species to prepare them for release as part of the (Hadad) program, which aims to preserve rare bird species in the Kingdom. Their twenty-eight nests are distributed across eight administrative provinces in the Kingdom, supervised by monitors from the Saudi Falcons Club.
Laggar peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus):
It is one of the fastest birds in the world. The Kingdom has banned its hunting due to its rarity. The Saudi Falcons Club has sheltered it for release after breeding. The Hadad program has taken in a total of sixty chicks of both the laggar peregrine and lanner falcons.
Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus):
It is one of the largest falcon types, with lighter-colored feathers compared to the laggar peregrine falcon. It migrates to the Arabian Peninsula at the beginning of the winter season, and its migration is longer compared to the laggar falcon, which rarely migrates and has a shorter migration distance.
Saker falcon (Falco cherrug):
Hunting enthusiasts consider it the best type of falcon due to its endurance, resistance, and patience with hunger. It is known for its rapid launch speed, reaching up to three hundred km/h, a trait referred to as the (burst) by hunting enthusiasts. It is one of the birds prohibited from being hunted. In 2021, a Saker falcon was sold in a record-breaking deal at an auction. The Saudi Falcons Club had cared for it as part of its efforts to preserve the species. This falcon was (a purebred) one of the rarest types.
Related quizzes
