Sakers, what are they anyway?

The Saker is NOT a gyr, there are some similarities,
but I don't even believe they are subspecies, as a matter of fact, the
idea is ludicrous. My sakerette is very large, 25-27 ounces, when was
the last time you saw a 25-27 ounce jerkin? Fine, I know you're saying
"but the saker is a smaller subspecies". What about aspergillosis? Sakers are
considered the hardiest of all falcons, you can drop a vault on a
saker and they will fly the same day. You put a house plant to close
to a gyr or say the word "spore" or "bumble-foot" and they are ready
for a 1000.00 vet bill. Next, lets talk feather quality. Gyrs have a
considerably more brittle feather, they are faster, and have a
snappier wing beat. The saker is very soft feathered, its wings are
really durable, they love rolling in cover like a harris or accipiter.
If anything the saker looks like a peales falcon, have you ever looked
at there wings? They have alot of wing load.

My 2 cents worth is in, and Ii've got to tell you, I am curious what
the similarities are between gyr and saker. I see a large amount of
prarie falcon in my sakerette, they frequently act similar.
An interesting study. They did a study in Europe, (mentioned in the
book "all my life with hunting birds" by DeBastyai) the study was of
six peregrines and six sakers. The peregrines instinctively killed the
pigeons at the hack block first, and the sakers the rabbits and
gerbils, only when the preferred food was gone would they kill the
others. It would be interesting to see if gyrs would also choose pigeons over fur
in the same situation.

Countessa, a female GyrXsaker with Balaban genetics

An Ashgar (blonde) saker owned by a Saudi Sheik

A charkh (normal) saker. Note that all the tail feathers have "pleides", or spots.