The saker falcon is adapted to relatively dry open environments, wooded steppe and hills in the Palearctic region from Eastern Europe to western China; it hunts mainly ground-dwelling mammals and supplements its diet with birds and other prey. Small numbers winter in Saudi Arabia.
The saker falcon breeds in 25 countries from Central Europe to East Asia: Afghanistan, Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. It passes through or winters in 55 countries in Africa, South Asia, Europe and the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Sudan.
Approved version OWNER-REVIEW-20261108T074753177 · last approved 8 November 2026
The saker falcon lives in semi-desert and forest areas from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and migrates in winter to the northern parts of South Asia and parts of Africa. In 1997 it was recorded breeding as far west as Germany.
