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Saker falcon vision: the science and the numbers

Falco cherrug · order Falconiformes · Birds: all the numbers

Both eyes see the same 37° in front of it.[11] The saker falcon stops seeing flicker at 102 Hz, against 60 Hz for people.[31]

See it on your photoBack to How does the saker falcon see?
  • 37°seen by both eyesMeasured
  • 102hertz flicker fusion (motion)Measured

The saker falcon (Falco cherrug) is a bird in the order Falconiformes. Its eyes belong to the vision type Raptor telephoto: four cone types, two foveas and very high sharpness. Measured in this species: field of view, night vision and motion (flicker fusion). Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What the saker falcon sees: colour receptors

Saker falcon colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmSaker falcon: 4 receptor peaks at 417.5, 452, 501, 570 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Saker falcon: 417.5, 452, 501, 570 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • Both eyes see the same 37° in front of it (binocular overlap), where depth is judged best.
  • It stops seeing flicker at 102 Hz, against 60 Hz for people in this dataset, so fast motion looks about 1.7 times slower to it.[32][33]
  • Activity pattern: diurnal.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the saker falcon (Falco cherrug), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
4 receptor classes: 417.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 452 nm (SWS (blue)), 501 nm (MWS (green)), 570 nm (LWS (long))
receptor set of nearest measured relative Anas platyrhynchos (same class Aves)
Group default[1][2]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[2][3][4][5]
SharpnessAcuity
43 cycles per degree
median of 3 relatives in genus Falco: Falco berigora, Falco sparverius, Falco tinnunculus
Estimated[6][7][8]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[9][10]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
37°
median of 1 rows (eyes-at-rest rows preferred)
Measured[11]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[12][13]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[14]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[14]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[12][13]
Total field of view
292°
median total field (measured, or 360 - blind area) of relatives in genus Falco: Falco sparverius
Estimated[15]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
1
median of 48 relatives in class Aves: Branta canadensis, Cardinalis cardinalis, Passerina cyanea, Zenaida macroura, Cyanocitta cristata, Junco hyemalis
Group default[16][17][18]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[19]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[19]
Fovea type
single central fovea (displaced dorso-temporally from retinal centre)		Group default[16][17][18]
Night visionActivity pattern
diurnal
mode of 3 rows (of 3 rows): diurnal; not_nocturnal; photopic
Measured (not re-verified)[20][21][22]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[23][24][25][2][26][27][21][22]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[28][29]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[30]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[23][24][25][2][26][27][21][22]
Rods vs cones
cone-dominated
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[20][21][22]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
102 Hz
median of 1 rows (no bright-light flag) (behavioural/whole-eye ERG rows; all rows: [102.0])
Measured[31]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[32][33]

All birds side by side: Birds: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Lind et al. 2014
  2. Longcore 2023
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. Caves et al. 2018
  7. Caves et al. 2024
  8. Potier et al. 2020
  9. Kirk et al. 2004
  10. Veilleux et al. 2014
  11. Potier et al. 2023
  12. Heesy 2004
  13. Heffner et al. 1992
  14. Campbell & Green 1965
  15. Tyrrell et al. 2017
  16. Moore et al. 2017
  17. Potier et al. 2017
  18. Rodrigues et al. 2026
  19. Kopania et al. 2025
  20. Wilman et al. 2014
  21. Schmitz et al. 2011
  22. Moura et al. 2024
  23. Anderson et al. 2017
  24. Borges et al. 2018
  25. Wilman et al. 2014
  26. Maor et al. 2017
  27. Jones et al. 2009
  28. Banks et al. 2015
  29. Cervino et al. 2021
  30. Guareschi et al. 2025
  31. Haarlem et al. 2026
  32. Healy et al. 2013
  33. Inger et al. 2014

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.