Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Rare Canadian falcon sells for $346,000 at Saudi auction
A very special bird called a falcon was sold at a big auction in Saudi Arabia.
The falcon came from a farm in Canada.
It is called a three-quarter gyr Super White falcon, and it is very rare.
People who love falcons wanted to buy it, and the bidding got very high.
Someone paid 1.3 million Saudi riyals, which is about $346,000, for the bird.
That made it the most expensive falcon at this year's auction.
It was the second most expensive falcon ever sold at this auction.
Falconry, or hunting with falcons, is a very old tradition in that part of the world.
People pay lots of money for these birds, and fast falcons can win big prizes in races.
A juvenile three-quarter gyr Super White falcon bred by Jim Wilson Falcons of Ontario, Canada, sold for 1.3 million Saudi riyals (about $346,000) at the International Falcon Breeders Auction in Malham.
The sale was the most expensive of this year's event and the second-highest in the auction's history, behind the 1.75 million riyals (about $467,000) record set in 2021.
Bidding opened at 200,000 riyals, and the bird was bought by Nova Falcon, whose representative called it a rare and priceless bird.
A pure gyrfalcon chick from the same Canadian farm sold for 150,000 riyals the same evening, bringing the breeder's two sales to 1.45 million riyals.
Saudi Arabia's National Center for Falcons called it the world's most expensive Mathlouth gyr pure falcon sold in 2026, and auction birds qualify for racing competitions offering around $12.5 million in prize money.
- Who
- Nova Falcon bought the falcon, which was bred by Jim Wilson Falcons of Ontario, Canada, at the International Falcon Breeders Auction.
- What
- A rare juvenile three-quarter gyr Super White falcon sold for 1.3 million Saudi riyals (about $346,000), the most expensive bird at this year's auction and the second-highest sale in the event's history.
- When
- On the seventh night of the International Falcon Breeders Auction, described by Saudi Arabia's National Center for Falcons as the world's most expensive Mathlouth gyr pure falcon sold in 2026.
- Where
- Malham, about 65 kilometres north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Why
- The bird is rare, and elite falcons command high prices in the Gulf's competitive falconry market, where auction birds qualify for racing competitions with around $12.5 million in prize money.
- Sale price
- 1.3 million Saudi riyals (about $346,000)
- Bird
- Juvenile three-quarter gyr Super White falcon
- Breeder
- Jim Wilson Falcons, Ontario, Canada
- Buyer
- Nova Falcon
- Auction standing
- Most expensive of 2026 event; second-highest in auction history
- All-time record
- 1.75 million riyals (about $467,000), set in 2021
- Opening bid
- 200,000 riyals
- Location
- International Falcon Breeders Auction, Malham, about 65 km north of Riyadh