Sooty Falcon
Falco concolor
The Sooty Falcon is a slim, uniformly dark grey falcon of desert coastlines and offshore islands of the Middle East and northeastern Africa, sharing Eleonora's Falcon's unusual late-breeding strategy tied to songbird migration.
- Feather type
- Long pointed flight feathers; slim tail feathers
- Colours
- Uniform sooty blue-grey to slate throughout
- Bird size
- Medium falcon, ~32-37 cm
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Overview
The Sooty Falcon breeds on rocky desert coastlines and islands of the Red Sea, Arabian Peninsula, and nearby areas, nesting late in the year like its relative Eleonora's Falcon to take advantage of migrating songbirds as food for its young. It is uniformly dark, lacking the pale morph seen in Eleonora's Falcon.
Feathers are typically found near sparse desert cliff or island nest sites, and their uniform sooty tone is the most useful identifying feature.
IUCN status: Vulnerable, reflecting a relatively small and localized population.
Identifying the Feather
Recognizing Sooty Falcon feathers
- Flight feathers: Uniform slate-grey to sooty blue-grey, long and pointed with little to no visible barring.
- Tail feathers: Slim, slate-grey, essentially unmarked.
- Body feathers: Uniformly sooty blue-grey across back, breast, and belly, with a yellow eye-ring and cere contrasting against the dark head in life (not visible on shed feathers).
- Shaft color: Dark grey.
- Compared to similar species: Smaller and entirely uniform in color compared to dark-morph Eleonora's Falcon, which is larger; lacks the streaking or barring seen in most other falcons of similar size.
Plumage & Molt
Adults are uniformly slate-grey to sooty blue-grey over the entire body, with no strong barring or streaking, giving a notably plain appearance among falcons. Juveniles are browner and show faint pale fringing on body feathers, gradually molting to the plain grey adult plumage.
Habitat & Range
Breeds on rocky desert coastlines, cliffs, and islands around the Red Sea, Arabian Peninsula, and nearby North African coasts. Migrates to winter in Madagascar and parts of the western Indian Ocean and East African coast, mirroring the migration pattern of Eleonora's Falcon.
Behavior & Field Notes
Times breeding to late summer/autumn to feed chicks on migrating songbirds, caught in fast aerial pursuit; also takes large insects. Nests in loose colonies or as isolated pairs on cliff ledges. Calls are harsh and repeated near nest sites. A plain, uniformly slate-grey feather found on a desert coastal cliff or offshore island in the Red Sea or Arabian region in late summer is a good candidate for this species.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most useful clue for identifying a Sooty Falcon feather?
Its uniform, unmarked sooty blue-grey color throughout, without barring or streaking, is the clearest distinguishing trait.
Does the Sooty Falcon have a pale color morph like Eleonora's Falcon?
No, Sooty Falcons are uniformly dark with no pale morph, unlike their close relative Eleonora's Falcon.
When does the Sooty Falcon breed?
It breeds late in the year, in late summer and autumn, timed to the passage of migrating songbirds that provide food for chicks.
Where does the Sooty Falcon winter?
It migrates to winter mainly on Madagascar and along parts of the East African coast and western Indian Ocean.
Sooty Falcon guides
In-depth guides for identifying and understanding Sooty Falcon.
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