RIYADH: Sales at the fourth Saudi Falcons Club auction exceeded SR1.6 million ($440,000) after three birds were sold for SR155,000, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. The auction was launched at the club’s Malham headquarters near Riyadh on Oct. 1 and will continue until Nov. 15. Two peregrine Qirnas falcons from the south of Al-Lith city sold for SR57,000 and SR33,000, while a third bird, a young falcon from Al-Wajh, sold for SR65,000. Earlier, a peregrine falcon from Al-Awiqila in the Kingdom’s Northern Borders region stole the show at the auction, fetching a record sale price of SR250,000. Another shaheen falcon, this one from Al-Lith city in the Makkah region, sold for SR135,000. The event aims to promote the Kingdom’s falconry heritage, and support related cultural and economic activities, organizers said, while also offering opportunities to invest in a field that helps support the development of the national economy. During the auction, the club outlines investment in falconry in Saudi Arabia and the development of the sector, including regulations governing the buying and selling of birds. The Saudi Falcons Club offers accommodation and transport for falcon owners, while the auction is broadcast live on television channels and the club’s social media platforms. During the club’s first auction, in 2020, 102 falcons were sold over 20 days, with total sales exceeding SR10 million. At the second auction, 95 falcons were sold for a total of SR8.3 million, and during the third, 81 birds sold for more than SR7 million.