Nova Falcons paid SAR 1.3 million ($346,700) for a Canadian three-quarter Gyr Super White mottled chick at the International Falcon Breeders Auction 2026, the highest price of the year and the second-highest in the event’s history. Chairman Prince Nayef bin Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer said the bird will enter the company’s breeding program to help build Saudi lines that can compete internationally.
The sale closed on the seventh night at the National Center for Falcons headquarters in Malham, north of Riyadh. Bidding opened at SAR 200,000 and drew interest from several farms before Nova secured the juvenile.
The Super White chick that cleared 1.3 million
The falcon came from the Jim Wilson farm in Ontario. Organizers and wire reports describe it as a mottled gyr Super White, three-quarter Gyr juvenile. A second bird from the same Canadian farm, a pure gyrfalcon chick, sold the same night for SAR 150,000, bringing the farm’s haul to SAR 1.45 million.
Last year’s top price was SAR 1.2 million for a Super White pure gyrfalcon from a US farm. The all-time record remains the SAR 1.75 million paid in 2021 for an Ultra White three-quarter pure Gyr chick at the inaugural auction.
- SAR 1.3 million, 2026 top price, Nova Falcons
- SAR 1.75 million, auction record, 2021
- SAR 1.2 million, 2025 top price
- SAR 200,000, opening bid on the Super White
Prince Nayef said the pedigree, physical traits and breeding potential justified the outlay. “We acquired it as a breeding male and look forward to seeing its first offspring,” he said. “We expect it to make an important contribution to falcon breeding in Saudi Arabia.”
| Year | Bird | Price (SAR) | Origin note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ultra White three-quarter pure Gyr | 1.75 million | Inaugural record |
| 2025 | Super White pure Gyr | 1.2 million | US farm |
| 2026 | Super White mottled three-quarter Gyr | 1.3 million | Jim Wilson, Ontario |
The numbers place the bird among the rarest colour extremes that breeders struggle to produce consistently. Buyers treat the bloodline as the real asset.
Why Nova Falcons wrote the cheque
Prince Nayef framed the purchase as an investment in Saudi Arabia’s breeding sector rather than a trophy acquisition. Nova Falcons wants locally bred birds that can rank among the best in different categories, with particular focus on Gyr falcons.
At Nova Falcons, we look for exceptional bloodlines that can make a meaningful contribution to our breeding program. This falcon has the qualities and pedigree we were seeking.
Prince Nayef, chairman of Nova Falcons, made the comments after the sale. The company already operates a farm and is expanding capacity. In 2025 it acquired the historic John Lejeune Falcon Farm of Canada at the same auction series, taking over an operation with more than 50 years of history. At the time Nova said it had 120 falcon chambers and planned to grow to 500.
That earlier deal and this week’s SAR 1.3 million buy form a pattern: import proven genetics, breed on Saudi soil, and eventually export high-quality birds instead of only buying them.
Riyadh has become the clearing house
The auction runs 5-25 August at the National Center for Falcons in Malham. It draws farms from Europe, North America and the Gulf. This year 14 new farms joined, including six from Spain plus entries from Germany, England, France, Belgium, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bahrain.
European breeders expanding at the Riyadh sale treat the event as the venue that sets reputations and prices. Captive-bred falcons face heavy paperwork and transport hurdles in private deals. The Riyadh platform handles settlement and documentation under one roof, which is why breeders keep returning.
- 2025 sales exceeded SAR 13 million ($3.5 million)
- 1,103 falcons sold by 67 farms from 23 countries
- More than 20,000 visitors
- Juvenile-category racing rounds reserved for auction birds
The racing link adds immediate competitive value. Birds sold here become eligible for Saudi falcon-racing events whose combined prize pool sits near $12.5 million this season. That incentive sits alongside the breeding upside.
What the National Center is building
The National Center for Falcons is chaired by Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef. Its National Center for Falcons mission covers preservation of falconry tradition, veterinary support, regulation and commercial development. The auction is one public face of that work.
Prince Nayef said government backing has helped turn Saudi Arabia into an international destination for breeders and falconers. “The National Center for Falcons has established a trusted international platform that brings together breeders and falconers from around the world,” he said. “It gives local farms access to distinguished bloodlines that can support the development of Saudi breeding.”
A 2015 survey of captive falcons in Saudi Arabia already counted more than 9,000 birds in captivity and documented sharp price rises for wild-caught stock. The shift toward documented captive-bred birds at regulated auctions is the policy response to that pressure.
From import buyer to potential exporter
Saudi falconry sits inside Vision 2030 efforts that treat heritage sports as both cultural assets and economic sectors. Northern Borders Region initiatives and the wider club network aim to keep the practice alive while building commercial scale.
Nova’s stated goal is explicit: Saudi-bred falcons that rank among the best internationally, with the Kingdom becoming a leading source of high-quality birds with strong bloodlines. Buying the Jim Wilson Super White is one data point in that longer plan. The bird’s first offspring will be the next test.
Similar logic appears across the festival calendar. The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival prize structure and related events keep demand high for top performers, which in turn rewards farms that can supply them locally.
- 2021, Inaugural International Falcon Breeders Auction records SAR 1.75 million Ultra White sale; Saudi Falcons Club establishes the platform.
- 2025, Nova Falcons acquires John Lejeune Canadian farm; auction sells 1,103 birds for more than SAR 13 million.
- August 2026, Nova pays SAR 1.3 million for the Jim Wilson Super White; 14 new farms participate; racing eligibility attached to auction birds.
The remaining nights of the 2026 auction still have high-value chicks to offer. Whether any surpasses 1.3 million is secondary to the bloodline transfers already completed. Those genetics now sit on Saudi farms with a clear breeding mandate.
Prince Nayef put the ambition plainly: “Our goal is for Saudi-bred falcons to rank among the best internationally and for the Kingdom to become a leading source of high-quality falcons with strong bloodlines.” The Super White is now part of that program.
