ABSTRACT
The sooty falcon (Falco concolor) is a medium sized falcon breeding mainly in the Middle East, and wintering in Madagascar. It is a facultative colonial species, showing a delayed breeding phenology, similar to the Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae). as both species match their breeding season with the post-breeding migration of passerines. The few data available on its migratory strategies have been got through satellite tracked birds tagged in the eastern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. They show that the species migrate on a broad front, reaching Eastern Africa and then flying to the South in order to cross to Madagascar from Mozambique, in a journey lasting a couple of weeks at least. Juveniles are slower than adults as they follow a less direct route and perform stopovers in Sahel countries. The few data available for the pre-breeding migration suggest the existence of staging areas inland in Ethiopia.
