​​Saudi Arabia’s Farm-Bred Falcon Sales Doubled in 2026

Saudi Arabia’s largest falcon auction by volume is devoted to farm-bred falcons, while a national conservation program returns captive falcons to the wild in Central Asia.

More than 2,200 falcons were sold at the International Falcon Breeders Auction this August, compared with 1,103 in 2025. Every falcon in the 21-day sale at Malham, north of Riyadh, was farm-bred. More than 90 breeding farms from 24 countries took part, and sales reached about $8.8 million, up from more than $3.4 million in 2025.

The auction is run by the National Center for Falcons, the government body that oversees falconry in Saudi Arabia. A regulation approved by the Saudi Cabinet on 5 May 2026 gave the center public legal personality and financial and administrative independence, while formally adding falcon-release programs to its mandate.

Falconry in the Arabian Peninsula grew out of desert life, where hunting with a trained falcon depended on reading the seasons and the movement of prey. Saudi families have passed that knowledge down for generations. In 2010 UNESCO inscribed falconry on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in a multinational nomination that included Saudi Arabia.

Saudi falconers commonly work with species including the saker, peregrine, gyrfalcon and lanner. The saker has a long history in the region, and the IUCN Red List classifies it as Endangered.

Sakers are excluded from the center’s second, much smaller sale, the National Center for Falcons Auction, which handles wild-caught falcons trapped inside Saudi Arabia. It runs from October 1st to November 30th, during the migration season, and accepts only juvenile migratory peregrines. Adult peregrines are excluded as well, as part of the center’s measures to support sustainability and preserve falcon populations. In its 2021 global assessment, the IUCN classified the peregrine as Least Concern.

Each trapper needs a license issued in coordination with the National Center for Wildlife, which protects wild animals and plants in Saudi Arabia. Each falcon sold is fitted with an electronic ring and entered in a national register. Volumes are small. In 2025, when the Saudi Falcons Club still ran the auction, 40 falcons were sold over 26 nights. The National Center for Falcons took over the auction in 2026 under its new regulation.

The National Center for Falcons also runs Hadad, a conservation program that operates both inside Saudi Arabia and internationally. Within the Kingdom, the program releases native falcon species into suitable natural habitats, while its international work returns sakers and peregrines to breeding ranges in Central Asia.

Hadad carried out its first international release in Kyrgyzstan in November 2023, and in March 2026 the center released sakers in Altyn-Emel National Park in Kazakhstan, where the falcons are protected and monitored. The program is implemented in scientific cooperation with the National Center for Wildlife and supports the conservation, rehabilitation and release of falcons in both local and international environments.

The center set November 18, 2026 as the deadline for owners to hand in captive sakers and peregrines that are no longer used for breeding, ahead of an international release planned for 2027.

The 2025 King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival brought together 3,536 falcons, with prizes totaling about $10.06 million. Guinness World Records has recognized the festival three times for record numbers of participating falcons. Its two main contests test different qualities: the Melwah race times a falcon over 400 meters, while the Mazayen competition judges falcons against set standards of appearance.

Businesses built around falconry met at the Saudi International Falcons and Hunting Exhibition, held from October 1-10th at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham. Over ten days, the show drew 765,000 visitors and featured about 1,450 exhibitors and brands from 47 countries. Traditional falconry equipment appeared alongside tracking systems, specialist veterinary services and other products linked to falconry, hunting and outdoor pursuits.

The 2026 King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival is now underway, with international falconers in 141 heats across the Melwah and Mazayen competitions, with prizes worth more than $10.1 million, as well as the King Abdulaziz Cups, the King’s Sword and the King’s Shalfa titles.