Six Breeding Territories of the Saker Falcon Identified in Bulgaria!

During the 2025 field season, teams from Green Balkans and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds conducted regular monitoring of a large number of potential Saker Falcon territories in Bulgaria and identified six territories occupied by the species. We remind you that in 2024, three occupied territories were confirmed.

Thanks to the periodic monitoring, our experts recorded a total of four breeding pairs of this rare bird. Sadly, at the beginning of spring, we lost an adult female falcon that was poisoned. The incident was reported thanks to the transmitter placed on the bird’s back, but unfortunately, by the time the Green Balkans team reached the scene of the crime, the bird was already dead. The male remained alone in the territory and was unable to find a new mate.

The remaining three pairs initiated nesting and laid eggs, but unfortunately, only one pair successfully raised chicks. The only successful breeding was by the oldest and most experienced pair, which raised five chicks that fledged into the wild in June. Interestingly, at the beginning of the breeding season, two additional territories were found to be occupied by solitary males who, however, failed to form pairs. These males continue to inhabit their chosen areas, and the project team will keep monitoring them in the coming years.

All Saker Falcons known to our team so far — including the solitary males — were released in different years as part of Green Balkans' Saker Falcon reintroduction program in Bulgaria. This was confirmed thanks to the identification rings placed on the birds. Remarkably, the oldest among them is a 10-year-old male!

Field activities under the "Life for the Falcon" project continue even after the breeding season ends. Our teams monitor the lives of the young birds that have fledged from the nests, as well as their parents. This year-round monitoring provides us with valuable information about the behavior, life, threats, and specific characteristics of this species — which had completely disappeared from our country just a decade ago.

Photos: Volen Arkumarev BSPB and Ivaylo Lisurov Green Balkans