Falcon : National Bird of Saudi Arabia

The national bird of Saudi Arabia is Falcon. They are the most powerful birds, often termed as “hunting dogs of skies”. Apart from Saudi Arabia, Falcon is the National Bird of Qatar, Oman, UAE, and Yemen. Arab countries are known for centuries in petting Falcon to catch prey or for sports. Falconry is the favorite game in Arabian Peninsula, it is now a global competition. Arabic Falcons are called Saqr in Arabic, they have thin and long wings that allow Falcons to fly at high speed and altitude. Falcons have broad wings and long feathered tail, they are very shy and not seen commonly. They are found everywhere in the world except Antarctica. Usually, their breed is found beloved 5000 feet, and they are used as pet animals by Arabs mostly. Wild falcons primarily prey smaller to medium-sized birds as they are carnivores, their diet includes sparrows, houbaras, and pigeons.

Falcons which is the national bird of Saudi Arabia are regarded as precious birds, they are of much demand in Arabian countries. They are regarded as the symbols of courage and force. It had been a symbol of vanity in Omayyad dynasty. Arabs trap the birds when falcons visit Arabian Peninsula during winter season. The kestrel Falcons are smaller in size and are specifically found and breed in Northern American region. The hobbies are found all over the world with more than 200 species. In Asia, they are found below 1500 feet above sea level. Their shape and body size varies from continent to continent, Arabic falcon are the largest ones.

Interesting Facts About National Bird Of Saudi Arabia :

• Falcons, unlike hawks and eagles, prey differently and kill their prey with beak using their sharp claws.
• They have excellent vision, the normal vision of Arabian Falcons are recording 2.6 times greater than Human vision.
• Falcons are known to be the fastest divers on the planet, they dive at prey with the speed of 200 miles per hour that is approximately 320 km/h.
• The male falcons are smaller in size than the female ones, the average size of hawks range between 50-65. The most minor ones are 25 cm in length, the largest ones being 65 cm in length.
• There are two types of falcons, the ones with narrow wings are called hobbies.
• Those falcons that hover before preying are called kestrels.
• Arabs used Falcons for hunting houbaras in coastal areas.
• Falcons have gray coloring with blue traces with colored strips at breasts.
• Coastal falcons feed on ducks and seagulls, cranes, and other birds of the sea.
• The wild falcons mostly nest on cliffs and rocks, the caged ones have a long life and short sight as compared to the wild ones.
• Falcons have an average weight of 500-1600 g, their wingspan range from 100-110 cm.
• They are one of the fastest birds, their speed varies between 40-55 km/h, they can accelerate up to 120 km/h when hunting.
• The average life of falcons is 10-13 years, the oldest Falcon lived to date is 19 years.
• In Arabic, falcons are termed as beating animals.
• All of the falcon species inhibit in desert areas except New Zealand falcons, they live in woodlands.