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28-605: In March 2006 Iraqi police reported that American troops had executed 11 people in Ishaqi after capturing them in a raid, including a 75-year-old woman and a 6-month-old baby. New footage of the event's aftermath was released in June 2006, sparking an investigation of the event. The US forces were later cleared of wrongdoing by a US military probe, sparking protests from the Iraqi government, who vowed to continue their own investigation. In December 2006

56-441: A recent study , Altai falcons are genetically intermingled with the broader Asian Saker population and do not constitute a distinct cluster, indicating that they are only colour morphs, and do not represent a separate taxonomic entity. In captivity, lanners and sakers can interbreed, and gyrfalcon -saker hybrids are also available (see bird flu experiment described in "Ecology and status"). The specific name , cherrug , comes from

84-446: A catastrophe." The Agence France Presse news agency passed its own photographs of the dead children to Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver, a US military spokesman, asking for an explanation on the latest allegations. Garver replied, "We've checked with the troops who conducted this operation - there were no children found among the terrorists killed." Garver continued, "I see nothing in the photos that indicates those children were in

112-455: A commercial H5N2 influenza vaccine survived infection with a highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, whereas five unvaccinated falcons died. This means that sakers could be protected from bird flu by vaccination, at least in captivity. A Hungarian mythological bird, the Turul , was probably a saker falcon ( kerecsensólyom ), and the saker falcon is the national bird of Hungary . In 2012, the saker falcon

140-523: A floor of –3 m, above the sea level. The maximum length and width of the depression are 120 and 48 km, respectively. The eastern rim of the depression is higher than the western one, the heights of both rims are 90 metres (300 ft) and 75 metres (246 ft), respectively. The main purpose of the Tharthar Lake is to collect excess water of the Tigris River during flood seasons and to recharge water to

168-487: A larger but browner Prairie Falcon . It is larger and more heavily built than the related Lanner Falcon . Saker falcons tend to have variable plumage. Males and females are similar, except in size, as are young birds, although these tend to be darker and more heavily streaked. The call is a sharp kiy-ee or a repeated kyak-kyak-kyak . The saker falcon is a raptor of open grasslands preferably with some trees or cliffs. It often hunts by horizontal pursuit, rather than

196-542: A rapid population decline, particularly on the central Asian breeding grounds. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union , the United Arab Emirates have been the main destination for thousands of falcons caught and sold illegally for hefty sums at the black market. Kazakhstan is estimated to lose up to 1,000 saker falcons per year. The species also faces pressure from habitat loss and destruction. The population

224-504: Is considered the main wintering grounds for many threatened species of migrant birds such as saker falcon , MacQueen's bustard , and sociable lapwing . 54 bird species were seen in Tharthar lake including: pallid harrier , European roller , and black-tailed godwit (all near threatened) were recorded on passage and the endemic race of hooded crow [ Corvus cornix capellanus ] was present. Golden jackals have been observed regularly at

252-669: Is not. In Europe , for example, a part of the juveniles are migrating , while adults are mostly resident. The European and West Asian migratory sakers spend the winter in the Sahel region . On migration, they cross the Middle East , the Arabian Peninsula , and Pakistan , where they are exposed to illegal trapping. The migratory birds to the east from Altai Mountains spend the winter in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau . The saker falcon

280-583: Is the national bird of Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, and Mongolia. It is called by Arabs Hur , i.e., "Free-bird", and it has been used in falconry in the Arabian Peninsula since ancient times. Saker falcons are the national bird of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Yemen and have been integral to Arab heritage and culture for over 9,000 years. They are the national emblem of many Arab countries . This species belongs to

308-402: Is the second fastest bird in level flight after the white-throated needletail swift (unconfirmed), capable of reaching 150 km/h (93 mph). It is also the third fastest animal in the world overall after the peregrine falcon and the golden eagle , with all three species capable of executing high speed dives known as "stooping", approaching 300 km/h (190 mph). The saker falcon

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336-539: The Eemian interglacial at the start of the Late Pleistocene , a mere 130,000–115,000 years ago; the saker falcon represents a lineage that expanded out of northeastern Africa into the interior of southeastern Europe and Asia, by way of the eastern Mediterranean region. The Saker Falcon has four officially recognized subspecies in the international ornithology according to IOC World Bird List : Some saker falcons at

364-519: The Sindhi name charg for a female saker. The common name saker comes from the ( Arabic : صقر , romanized :  Ṣaqr ) meaning "falcon". The saker falcon is a large hierofalcon , larger than the lanner falcon and almost as large as gyrfalcon at 45–57 cm (18–22 in) length with a wingspan of 97–126 cm (38–50 in). Males weigh between 730–990 g (26–35 oz) and females 970–1,300 g (34–46 oz). It resembles

392-512: The peregrine's stoop from a height, and feeds mainly on rodents and birds. In Europe, ground squirrels and feral pigeons are the most common prey items. This species usually builds no nest of own, but lays its 3–6 eggs in an old stick nest in a tree which was previously used by other birds such as storks, ravens or buzzards. It also often nests on cliffs. Saker nests support a species-rich assemblage of commensal insects. BirdLife International categorises this bird as endangered , due to

420-676: The Tharthar depression was turned into an artificial reservoir to collect floodwaters of the Tigris River. The water flows via an artificial inlet canal, named Tharthar Canal. The canal diverts the excess water, by means of a regulator Samarra Barrage . It merges with the lake in its southeastern bank. The lake has an artificial outlet called Taksim Tharthar Canal, which drains to the Euphrates River directly. The canal, after 28 km (17.4 mi) from its outlet, bifurcates to another canal called "Dhira'a Dijla" (arm of tigris) that returns water back to

448-601: The Tigris River. Lake Tharthar was the site of an American raid in 2005 against an insurgent training base in the region. The Tharthar depression was formed during the Holocene age, mainly by karstification , due to dissolving of gypsum rocks of the Fatha (nearby area) Formation. Tharthar covers roughly 2,050 km (790 sq mi), flows from the central and eastern parts of the Sinjar Mountains and adjacent hills, with

476-571: The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers during dry seasons, when there is shortage of water in both rivers. Moreover, it aims to wash out the salts from the stored water in the lake by means of natural continuous draining of the stored water. Tharthar lake and the surrounding areas are considered one of the most important grazing areas in Iraq, including the wide wheat and corn fields covering the area. The area harbors many species of animals and vegetation. Tharthar lake

504-512: The US military conducted an air raid on Ishaqi. U.S.-led coalition forces said they were looking through several buildings near Lake Tharthar in the province of Salah ad Din when Al-Qaeda -linked militants launched an attack. The U.S. military then said coalition troops returned fire, killing two of the insurgents. As the firefight continued, troops called in the air strikes. The U.S. military said 20 Al-Qaeda insurgents, including two women, were killed in

532-430: The close-knit hierofalcon complex. In this group, there is ample evidence for rampant hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting which confounds analyses of DNA sequence data to a massive extent; molecular studies with small sample sizes can simply not be expected to yield reliable conclusions in the entire hierofalcon group. The radiation of the entire living diversity of hierofalcons seems to have taken place in

560-554: The houses that our forces received fire from and subsequently destroyed with the air strike." Lake Tharthar Lake Tharthar (also Therthar ), and known in Iraq as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar ( Arabic : بحيرة الثرثار ), is an artificial lake created in 1956, situated 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of Baghdad between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. In 1956, the southern part of

588-580: The northeast edge of the range in the Altai Mountains are slightly larger, and darker and more heavily spotted on the underparts. These, known as the Altai falcon , have been treated in the past either as a distinct species "Falco altaicus" or as a hybrid between saker falcon and gyrfalcon. However, modern opinion (e.g. ( Orta 1994 )) treats them as a form of saker falcons and new research in population genetics and ecology supports that view. According to

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616-473: The raid. Local officials in Jalameda claimed there were actually 17 victims and that they included five men, six women, and five children. Locals of the area claiming to be relatives showed the children's bodies to journalists. Al Jazeera claimed to have exclusive footage that confirms children were among the victims of the US air raid. Iraqi reaction included mourners firing into the air overnight as they buried

644-712: The saker falcon in Asia has been in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan . In contrast, a strongly protected and relatively abundant population persists in Hungary . Saker falcons are known to be very susceptible to avian influenza , individuals having been found infected with highly pathogenic H5N1 (in Saudi Arabia ) and H7N7 (in Italy ) strains. Therefore, an experiment was done with hybrid gyr -saker falcons, which found that five falcons vaccinated with

672-461: The site. Striped hyenas and caracals were reported by local people near the lake edge. Many species of reptiles have been observed such as Turkish gecko and Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard . Ten fish species have been found in the lake including: Aspius vorax , yellowfin barbel , B. luteus , B. sharpeyi , goldfish , Cyprnion kais , common carp , Silurus triostegus , Chondrostoma regium , and Liza abu . Tharthar lake and

700-526: The surrounding area contains about 38 species of plants. Four main habitat types observed within the Al-Tharthar Lake and Al Dhebaeji Field area: Saker falcon The saker falcon ( Falco cherrug ) is a large falcon species. It breeds from Central Europe eastwards across the Palearctic to Manchuria . It is a partial migrant, which means that some part of the population is migratory , some part

728-451: The victims of the raid. Hundreds of chanting residents of Jalameda marched through Ishaqi overnight firing shots and carrying banners that read: "The people of Ishaqi condemn the mass killing by the occupation forces". Adnan al-Dulaimi, head of the biggest Sunni political bloc in parliament, said, "We ask the Americans to be merciful. They kill civilians alleging they are terrorists. Ishaqi is

756-467: Was estimated to be between 7,200 and 8,800 mature individuals in 2004. However, sakers live at low densities across large ranges in remote regions, making distribution status difficult to assess. A climatic niche modelling study pinpointed certain remote areas for targeted population surveys. In the United States, Canada and Europe there are several captive breeding projects. The most dramatic decline of

784-469: Was selected as the national bird of Mongolia . The saker falcon has been used in falconry for thousands of years, and like its very close relative, the gyrfalcon , is a highly regarded in it. Swift and powerful, it is effective against medium-sized to large-sized game bird species. Saker falcons can reach speeds of 120 to 150 km/h and suddenly swoop down on their prey. The saker falcon and peregrine falcon can be hybridised to provide falcons used in

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