June 2001

Counting Falcons

Professor Gerald Schultz

Swift and dauntless, the saker falcon was revered by the great warrior Genghis Khan. To this day, its place in Mongolian culture is renewed at the national games when wrestlers warm up with flapping movements to imitate hawks and falcons.

The bird’s agility and accuracy as a hunter have made it a traditional favorite among falconers everywhere. Nevertheless, the very traits that elevate the saker falcon to such cherished status have left the majestic bird on the brink of extinction.

Mathematics Professor Gerald Schultz knows this all too well. He spent part of his fall 2000 sabbatical at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Baltimore helping to develop conservation strategies for the saker falcon based on mathematical modeling. Working with famed biologist and bird behaviorist David Ellis, Schultz began the daunting task of filtering a huge database of Ellis’ research to fit potential biological and ecological scenarios.

When he began his work, Schultz didn’t know the saker falcon from any of the other nearly 60 species of falcons in existence. Even now, he hasn’t even seen the bird, which lives primarily in Mongolia. But, he says, “it is a beautiful bird. I wouldn’t want to see any species go extinct.”

The 18—inch saker falcon, with its long, pointed wings, digs through the air with powerful rhythm. Its brownish coloring gives way to a lighter head and underbelly. Capable of great speed and distance, the saker feeds on the smaller birds and rodents of the open plains and desert habitats.

A prized possession, the saker is sold for as much as $200,000 to Arab falconers, making it a valuable commodity for poachers. In its native Mongolia, the saker falcon’s demise illustrates the low priority on conservation in the region. Only in recent years have biologists begun to take action to protect the bird.

Ellis’ research to track the falcon has led him to build aeries, high structures where they can nest. During the course of several years he has tracked, counted and observed the birds in their native environment, collecting reams of facts and figures.

For Schultz, this data presented a unique opportunity to change his focus. A veteran of Southern’s Mathematics Department, Professor Schultz has taught mathematical theory for 34 years. This sabbatical gave him a chance to apply mathematical theory to find concrete indicators of the falcon’s disposition.