How demand for elite falcons in the Middle East is driving illegal trade of British birds | Birds

In the exhibition halls of the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Riding Exhibition, hundreds of falcons sit on perches under bright lights. Decorated hoods sit snugly over their heads, blocking their vision to keep them calm.

In a small glass room marked Elite Falcons Hall, four young birds owned by an undisclosed Emirati sheikh are displayed like expensive jewelry. Entrance to the room, with its polished glass, controlled lighting and plush seating, is restricted to authorized visitors only.

These falcons enjoy Emirati passports, travel around the world and have entire hospitals specializing in their healthcare. Some cost more than luxury cars: an American Falcon at the exhibition will sell for AED350,000 (£71,000). The most prestigious birds travel in Range Rovers and Bentleys equipped with a perch between the front seats.

For thousands of years, humans have hunted with falcons in the vast Arabian Desert. In the UAE, however, this Bedouin tradition has evolved into a spectacle of wealth and prestige to suit the tastes of the modern Gulf elite. While falconry has become a multi-million dollar international industry that spans the globe, an investigation by the Guardian and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) shows it is fueled by a parallel industry of smuggling and illegal capture of wild birds.

Disappearing chicks

Far from the hot plains and glass skyscrapers of Abu Dhabi, in the UK’s rural counties, conservationists and police are reporting a worrying trend. Peregrine falcon chicks disappear from cliff ledges and treetop nests, inaccessible without specialized climbing equipment. Later, some of these chicks end up in the deserts of the Middle East, having received false documents, according to police witness statements from people who bought them thinking they were legitimate.

The cold climate of northern Europe is considered ideal for creating hardy, fast birds, and British-bred birds from established lines enjoy additional prestige. Legally, only peregrine falcons bred in captivity can be traded. The birds cannot be captured from the wild, as they are strictly protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Exclusive data shared with the Guardian and ARIJ by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) investigations shows that from 2014 to 2023, 126 nests were reported, of which 21 were confirmed using camera footage, DNA work or eyewitness accounts. All are believed to be linked to the peregrine falcon trade.

“Hundreds of birds go missing every year,” says Kevin Kelly, head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU).

The demand for wild birds appears to come from two directions, experts and police say. The first comes directly from Middle Eastern falconers who seek out wild birds for racing. The second comes from some breeding operations that need them as parents to feed a burgeoning appetite for hybrid falcons and legally exportable captive-bred birds.

At the Abu Dhabi exhibition, traders will be happy to discuss their desire for wild-caught birds – even if they are not officially advertised, as the practice is illegal.

“British falcons are in high demand in the UAE due to their race winning record, purity of bloodline and speed,” says an employee of a leading Emirati falconry organization. He says most Emirati falconers prefer wild-caught falcons because “farm-bred falcons can come from mixed bloodlines, while wild-caught birds are pure and high-performing.” This preference for wild-caught British falcons was echoed by four other farm owners and sellers, as well as two falconers interviewed at the exhibition.

Demand for British birds has caused exports to soar. Last year, 4,000 peregrines or peregrine hybrids were exported from the UK to the Middle East, and this year that number rose to 5,000, according to police. In 2023 (data from the latest year is available), 88% of all peregrine falcons exported out of the UK were sent to the UAE, according to data taken from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) database. It is unclear how many of these exported birds are captured from the wild, but police have identified at least a few.

Wild birds held in captivity

To meet the growing demand for exports, the number of British breeders has also seen considerable growth. There are around 160 breeding centers in the UK today, up from 27 in the 1980s, according to the NWCU. All facilities have ties to the Middle East (either owned by a resident of the region or sold directly to a buyer there).

The most valuable falcon for export is the gyr falcon – known for its speed and strength – which has a peregrine falcon as a mother and a gyr falcon as a father. The female offspring are sterile, which is why there is a high demand for female peregrine falcons in breeding establishments. In 2024, 1,200 peregrine falcons were registered in captive breeding facilities, up from 750 in 2000, according to Freedom of Information (FoI) data.

DNA techniques – which rely on volunteers sending in hundreds of samples from wild birds – prove that some of these birds were captured in the wild. “DNA work shows there are a number of wild birds in captive breeding centers across the country,” says PC Gavin Ross, who has led the crackdown on falcon thieves.

Police do not have the capacity to inspect every facility in the country, but say more than half of the facilities they investigate are non-compliant, with violations ranging from failure to register birds and false declarations of parentage to the sale of wild-caught birds. According to FoI data, 27 physical inspections of peregrine falcon breeding facilities took place in 2023 and 2024, a significant increase compared to previous years. During these checks, 15 wild birds were discovered and confirmed using DNA tests.

A “minor” problem

These findings have been disputed by some industry experts, who say the trafficking is minor to non-existent. “In reality, the level of illegal capture described by the NWCU is a handful of birds per year,” says Dr Nick Fox, director of International Wildlife Consultants (UK) Ltd, which has supplied falcons to the royal families of the UAE and Bahrain.

““Falcon breeding in the UK has increased significantly over the last 25 years as expertise has developed,” says Fox, who holds an OBE for falcon conservation. “We basically managed to kill the wild bird market.”

The idea that Emirati falconers actively seek out wild-caught British birds is false, says Julian Mühle, CEO of the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF). “Comments collected informally at an exhibition do not reflect established preferences in the region,” he says.

Mühle believes that the discovery of wild falcons on farms “should not be interpreted as evidence of widespread criminality”. Cases of chicks being captured from wild nests “while serious, are extremely rare and, importantly, unrelated to the legitimate falconry community.”

Khaled Bin Soufan, a major falcon trader in the UAE, says there is ‘zero’ smuggling of wild birds from the UK: ‘It’s not allowed’.

The Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition did not respond to a request for comment.

Threatened by greed

Wild peregrine falcons spend their lives soaring above the cliffs and cathedrals of the UK, cutting through the cool air at dizzying speeds. A few will trade that for a life spent flying over golden deserts and sprawling glass cities. Yet many kept in captivity rarely — if ever — fly, according to Ross. Some who spend their lives on farms are “treated like battery hens,” he says, fed supplements to produce up to 14 eggs per season.

Peregrine falcons were on the verge of extinction in the UK in the 1950s, until the insecticide DDT was banned and legal protection was strengthened. Their return was a conservation success, with 1,750 breeding pairs in the wild. Today, they are threatened by greed, Ross says. “If we closed our eyes to [the illegal taking of birds]the peregrine would once again be threatened with extinction.

The population is now considered stable, but some areas are more targeted than others. “Locally we are seeing a decline in peregrine falcon numbers,” says George Smith, who monitors 60 nests in an area of ​​southeast Scotland. “When they disappear, the food chain is destroyed.”

Smith has been monitoring birds for nearly 40 years. This year, he estimates that four nests containing at least 10 chicks in his area were raided for falconry purposes and that nationally, about 100 chicks were taken. He tries not to get too attached to the birds he watches. “It’s really bad right now,” he said. “Nest raids were bad in the early ’70s, and now they’re back.”

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