The Asian Houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii), a large bustard that formerly over-wintered in Arabia in great numbers, has long been a topic of fascination for Emirati falconers as it is their key hunting prey.

Now its population is in sharp decline across the entire range. Unsustainable levels of hunting, compounded by disturbance and loss of breeding areas, primarily in Central Asia, may best explain this decline. Today, following on from an initiative launched by the late Sheikh Zayed, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) in Abu Dhabi is working to protect populations in the wild and to breed and release birds so that sustainable hunting may continue. This is happening both in Abu Dhabi and in distant breeding grounds, as the nations within its range work together to protect this truly iconic bird of deserts and steppes. Houbara conservation research also seeks to reveal the bird's previously unknown migration patterns. A key question is where do the birds that winter in the deserts of Abu Dhabi and other parts of Arabia spend the summer and breed. Research on this topic and on other aspects of the natural history of the Houbara, including their diet and breeding behaviour, has been under way for over a decade and answers are being found through good science and cutting-edge technology.

The Asian Houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii), a large bustard that formerly over-wintered in Arabia in great numbers, has long been a topic of fascination for Emirati falconers as it is their key hunting prey.

Now its population is in sharp decline across the entire range. Unsustainable levels of hunting, compounded by disturbance and loss of breeding areas, primarily in Central Asia, may best explain this decline. Today, following on from an initiative launched by the late Sheikh Zayed, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) in Abu Dhabi is working to protect populations in the wild and to breed and release birds so that sustainable hunting may continue. This is happening both in Abu Dhabi and in distant breeding grounds, as the nations within its range work together to protect this truly iconic bird of deserts and steppes. Houbara conservation research also seeks to reveal the bird's previously unknown migration patterns. A key question is where do the birds that winter in the deserts of Abu Dhabi and other parts of Arabia spend the summer and breed. Research on this topic and on other aspects of the natural history of the Houbara, including their diet and breeding behaviour, has been under way for over a decade and answers are being found through good science and cutting-edge technology.

Find out more about the Houbara in our interactive map section.

The flights of the Houbara have epic geographic dimensions. A fascinating example is that of a male Houbara captured in winter in western Abu Dhabi and equipped with a satellite transmitter before it departed across the Strait of Hormuz into Iran. Contrary to assumptions that it would remain in Iran for the breeding season, it took off again, flying across the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, then across northern China to the Gobi Desert. By the time the bird finally reached its breeding ground, it had flown 7,000 kilometres. If fortunate enough to evade predators and hunters, the bird will make this same perilous journey twice a year for up to 15 years.

Wild Houbara are trapped and fitted with small but powerful satellite transmitters. Once released, the signal from the transmitter is relayed by satellite to a receiving station allowing researchers to view and map the birds' movements. Trapping the birds without harming them is a challenge while the transmitters themselves have to be sufficiently robust to continue working over many months, and thousands of kilometres of travel. This work has shown that the health of the winteringpopulation of Houbara in the UAE quality of is closely related to the viability of its population and the breeding habitat in Central Asia. In consequence, Abu Dhabi, through IFHC, has embarked on a concerted effort to develop an international conservation programme involving all the range states in which Houbara breed, winter or migrate through. Locally, EAD has taken the lead in the establishment of a 769km2 Protected Area for Houbara in the Baynunah area of western Abu Dhabi.

The falconry season traditionally begins in September as wild falcons arrive on their annual migrations. In the past, these would be trapped using various methods, including tethered pigeons as bait or smaller falcons such as kestrels, which attract and are attacked by the larger falcons.

Once trained with lures and a bond of mutual trust has developed between falcon and falconer, the partnership can venture in search of quarry. In many respects, the falcon extends the falconer's ability to read the landscape; the vegetation, the wind, the shades of the desert – all the while evaluating the best locations to hunt the well hidden, camouflaged prey. Once it's found, the falconer releases his bird and the powerful instincts and natural abilities of the falcon come into play; extraordinary vision, graceful flight, high speed and stunning precision, which rapidly close the distance between the hunter and hunted, culminating – often, but not always, in a successful pursuit.

Falconry - An Intimate Partnership