[2] The saker falcon 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).

It is called by Arabs Hur, i.e., "Free-bird",[citation needed] and it has been used in falconry in the Arabian Peninsula since ancient times.

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 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.

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.

[10] According to 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.

[14] BirdLife International categorises this bird as endangered, due to 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.

However, sakers live at low densities across large ranges in remote regions, making distribution status difficult to assess.

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.