The Saker Falcon, National Bird of Mongolia, is it perishing by thousands?

Below is an interview with the teacher and PhD S.Gombobaatar of the Ornithological Laboratory and the School of Biology and Biotechnology of the National University of Mongolia (NUM) who was also the member of the working group to award the Falcon as the National Bird of Mongolia.

-The falcon has recently been awarded and approved as the National Glorious Bird of Mongolia. What was the actual reason to select Falcon among other birds?

-Each country has its own national pride. It could be anything: flower, song, poem or literature. We had initiated the work to make Falcon the National Bird in 2009 with the joint team of ornithologists of the NUM and the Mongolian Ornithological Society deciding to submit a proposal to nominate this glorious animal the national bird. Thus, we had to choose the specific animal which satisfied the title. Namely, we thought of Mazaalai (Gobi Bear), reindeer, vole, frog etc. But we found out that over 2000 years ago, the Mongols who lived in the period of Kidan Empire used to revere a predator bird with excellent strength and gallantry. Thus, we decided that we should name a bird as the national glorious animal. When we conducted a public survey in 2009, 50.8% of them stated Falcon must be the national animal of Mongolia. Therefore, as the Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Mongolia, Ts.Oyungerel, approved the idea with the Falcon being declared as the National Bird of Mongolia recently.

-What criteria did the falcon undergo to become the National Bird of Mongolia?

-Any animal to become the national pride must be connected to the history of it’s country. As for our country, the Mongols revered birds through centuries as they are the animals of the sky. First, there are historical documents which state Chinggis Khaan and Khubilai Khaan used Saker Falcons when hunting. Second, the people of the country must be educated about their national animal and it must not be the same animal which other countries have already named as their national bird. Currently, there is no other country apart from Mongolia which has named the Saker Falcon as the National Bird. Out of 44 species, ten species of falcon reside in Mongolia and thus the Saker Falcon became the National Bird of our country. What’s more, the national bird must have an appearance which symbols the strength and glory of one’s country. The falcon is distinct from others as it only eats the flesh of pray it has just killed, it never eats carrion.

The Congress of the United States of America chose the Bald Eagle as their National Bird on June 20, 1782. Benjamin Franklin was critical of the decision to choose bald eagle as the national bird pursues other birds and steals the food they have caught. Instead, he thought theTurkey would be much more proper and respectable national bird. Another important criterion for choosing the national bird is its stature. There are countries which chose sparrow or pigeon as their national birds but we chose Saker Falcon as the main population of the falcon resides in Mongolia.

-Some people claim that white falcon would have been more proper national bird of Mongolia. What do you think about it?

-Firstly, White Falcon is the national bird of another country. Secondly, our country doesn’t have any white falcon. One of the major criteria is that the bird must be widely populated in its origin country. On the other hand White Falcon lives in the tundra. Thus, it was right to choose Saker Falcon.

-Citizens are criticizing the Government and related organizations after they named the falcon as the National Bird and the trade of the Saker Falcon is getting out of hand these days. Is it right to trade this bird aboard?

-It doesn’t mean that the trade of falcon will be completely stopped as it has been declared as the National Bird of Mongolia but this is misunderstood by people. There are many countries which named the pride of their country as birds and they vary from hunting birds to the humble chicken. Many countries prohibit the trade of their national birds but cultures vary in the treatment of their national symbols. Currently, Mongolia won’t stop the trade of falcon and when there is enough reserves of falcon it wouldn’t be wrong to allow falcon trade with proper management. Animals are considered to be the renewable resource but the falcon, our National Bird, is perishing by the thousands through electrocution from in High Voltage power lines. To prevent further accidents, a protective barrier must be provided to shield the lines from touch, but this needs funding. However, the Government of Mongolia has not been able to provide this funding despite the sizable profits earned from falcon selling. First, we must conduct a nationwide research on exactly how many falcons are there in Mongolia, and only then we will be able to know whether the number of falcons has decreased or not and if the numbers are sustainable. If the research shows that falcon populations have decreased the Government must ban the trade of falcons to allow populations to recover. However, if the number is stable then it is possible to allow their continued sale along with adequate management oversight.