A large falcon of dry grassland and semi-desert, with plumage that varies in colour.
Its upperparts range from brown to sandy, while the underparts may show streaks or spots.
Saker Falcons in central Mongolia breed in artificial nests placed where natural nest sites are limited. Across 31 grid areas with 5,000 artificial nests covering about 9,363 km², an estimated average of 602 pairs bred each year from 2013 to 2015, producing about 1,735 fledglings annually.
Breeding-pair density was higher where vegetation biomass had been greater in the previous growing season; those places also had earlier laying and larger fledged broods. Warm, dry weather before breeding was associated with earlier eggs, and warmer conditions during breeding with better fledging success. A larger share of small mammals in the diet was also linked with higher pair density, earlier laying, larger clutches and better nest survival.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
In central Mongolia, artificial nests support Saker Falcon breeding where nest sites are scarce. The authors proposed adaptive management that follows vegetation, weather, prey and breeding conditions together.