Searching for Solutions for the Sooty Falcon in Madagascar

In what looks like a set straight out of a Science Fiction movie, the Alley of the Baobabs in western Madagascar (top photo below) is more than just a tourist destination and local agricultural hub. This habitat is crucial wintering grounds for a fast-declining raptor species: the Sooty Falcon.

The Sooty Falcon (bottom photo below) is a medium-sized falcon that breeds in Northeast Africa and parts of the Middle East and winters primarily in Madagascar. It is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to population declines, but the species has not been well-studied, making conservation recommendations difficult. Known threats to their populations include habitat loss, pesticides, hunting, and climate change. With the majority of Sooty Falcons congregating in dense populations during the winter, this may present a unique opportunity for biologists to trap and tag individuals representative of various breeding populations. The information obtained from these individuals may provide a big picture of the species’ migration routes, regional threats, population dynamics, genetic diversity, and more. 

In March 2025, our Madagascar Program partnered with the Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund and other international experts to do just that. They spent 17 days trapping and tagging nine Sooty Falcons in the Alley of the Baobabs to gain a deeper understanding of the species’ migratory behaviors, habitat use, and population threats. (One of these is pictured at left below.) While deploying satellite transmitters on the falcons, they also collected morphological data and blood samples for future genetic studies. 

After three months of monitoring the birds’ movements, the team is starting to get an idea of the falcons’ behavior. Eight of the nine falcons’ migration paths from Madagascar to their summering grounds were able to be tracked (one transmitter had technical difficulties). These paths are pictured at right below. As suspected, the Sooty Falcons all arrived at different sites, ranging from Iran and Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia and Somalia. Now on their summer grounds, the falcons are making smaller movements across the landscape, giving the team a better understanding of habitat use. 

The researchers will continue monitoring the transmitter data to help develop conservation recommendations and management strategies. They will also return to the Madagascar wintering grounds in 2026 to trap and tag additional falcons. For now, they recommend expanding community environmental educational programs, increasing community-based conservation efforts around the Alley of the Baobabs, and mitigating known threats to raptors in the region. Stay tuned for the results as more tracking data starts to come in!