Breeders and buyers gathered on 23 August at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre for the second of eight ADIHEX falcon auction sessions in Abu Dhabi, where the top sale of the day went to a Pure Gyr falcon that fetched Dh255,000.
The bird weighed over 2 kg and came from a UAE government farm, according to The National. Six more auction sessions remain before the main ADIHEX exhibition opens.
What drives the price of a falcon at the ADIHEX auction in Abu Dhabi
For Emirati falconer Mohammed Al Kaabi, the figure on an auction tag is only part of the picture. Al Kaabi, who has been involved in falconry since primary school, said a bird’s temperament shapes its value as much as its bloodline.
A calm, well-handled falcon commands a premium. Al Kaabi said a bird that might otherwise sell for around Dh50,000 could fetch Dh100,000 if it carries the right qualities, including composure and good behaviour under the hood.
Reaching that standard takes time. Al Kaabi described spending four or five hours a day with a newly acquired bird, keeping it on his hand and leaving the television on so it acclimatised to household sounds and movement.
‘When you first get it, the bird does not know you,’ he said. ‘You have to break that barrier of fear.’
For buyers seeking a hunting bird rather than a breeding prospect, proof of performance matters most. A falcon that has already hunted successfully comes with video documentation of those flights, Al Kaabi said, and that record can push a bird bought for around Dh25,000 to a substantially higher resale price after a strong competitive season.
Breeding, bloodlines and the science behind six-figure bids
KH Falcons, a team with breeding operations in the UAE and Britain, brought several birds to the auction. The operation was established in 2023 and has already produced falcons that draw six-figure bids.
One of its birds sold at the session for Dh250,000. The four-to-five-month-old falcon is expected to enter competitions when the UAE season opens towards the end of November. The team also bred a bird that sold for Dh350,000 at a previous auction.
Team member Mohammed Nabil said selection criteria go well beyond appearance. The team examines bloodlines, size, colour and competition performance, and has been producing larger-than-average birds. One falcon brought to the auction measured about 17.5 inches, which Nabil attributed to older bloodlines and careful management of the parent birds.
Not every buyer is focused on the individual bird. One Qatari bidder pursued a female offered at the session because he had purchased a male from the same bloodline the year before. His aim was to breed high-quality offspring from a matched pair.
He stopped at Dh210,000, losing the auction. He later told Nabil he had ‘lost the breeding project’.
For buyers and breeders at this level, the ADIHEX falcon auction in Abu Dhabi is less a single transaction than a long-term investment in bloodstock. The remaining six sessions run ahead of the main ADIHEX exhibition, with the UAE falconry competition season due to begin at the end of November.
