Wild Mallorca: Eleonora's Falcon

The Falcon uses its amazing aerobatic skills to catch its prey in flight!

The cliffs of Mallorca and its small islets are the hunting and breeding ground of Eleonora's Falcon during the summer months. This medium-sized bird of prey has recently been the subject of a complex scientific study to pinpoint its migration routes.

The birds remain in the Mediterranean until autumn because one of their main sources of food are the many thousands of birds migrating south for the winter from colder northern climes which pass right over Mallorca. The Falcon uses its amazing aerobatic skills to catch its prey in flight!

The Falcons' migration involves a journey to Madagascar, and this has been the subject of the study by various universities. It was previously thought that the birds flew down to Suez and then hugged the coast of Africa until they reached their destination.

Now satellite telemetry has revealed that they fly over the African continent via the Sahara desert, equatorial rainforests to Mozambique and then across to Madagascar a distance of some 9000 kilometres.
Isn't that amazing?

Published 20 October 2009 Stephen White.