Searching for Sooty Falcons Across Many Miles of Madagascar

Every year, an amazing journey takes place across the Indian Ocean. Sooty Falcons leave their breeding grounds in the deserts of northern Africa and the Middle East to spend their winter in Madagascar. But how many make this incredible migration, and where exactly do they go?

Scientists from our Madagascar Program, in collaboration with International Avian Research, recently performed surveys during two winter seasons to find out. Over 52 days in 2023 and 2024, our teams drove nearly 3,700 miles across the island, counting every Sooty Falcon they spotted. The results, published in November’s Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology, reveal important information about these threatened birds.

The researchers recorded 695 Sooty Falcons, with most concentrating in Madagascar's western and southern regions. These areas feature dry forests where the falcons hunt for food. In particular, the team located two concentrations of Sooty Falcons in Morondava District near the famous “Avenue of the Baobabs” and in Andranomena Special Reserve. The birds face several threats, including loss of forest habitat from logging and agriculture, as well as capture for human consumption during prolonged rain.

This study confirms that Madagascar serves as a crucial winter site for Sooty Falcons. The scientists recommend focusing future monitoring efforts on known concentration areas to better track population trends. Understanding where these falcons spend their winters is an important step toward protecting them year-round.