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Over the last few years, the migration routes of an increasing number of species have been tracked using satellite telemetry. In Zambia, our first experience of this was with the birds considered to be Greater Spotted Eagles Aquila clanga (these records are now considered unconfirmed as the possibility of the birds being hybrids cannot be ruled out).

Gradually, these devices have become smaller and currently they are being used on several species of small falcon. European Hobbies Falco subbuteo and Western Red-footed Falcon Falco verspertinus have both been tracked through or very close to Zambia recently and much of interest has been learnt about their migration strategies. However, perhaps of most interest is the tracking of an Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae through northern Zambia, as this species has never been recorded here with certainty before.

The bird was an adult female and her transmitter was fitted in Sardinia (Italy). Until recently, it was believed the species migrated east through the Mediterranean, then south via the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa to Madagascar, where 70% of the global population is estimated to converge in the winter. However the route taken by this and subsequent birds proved to be somewhat different as she headed south and right across the centre of the African continent. Other secrets uncovered include the finding that birds migrate by both day and night, crossing huge barriers such as the Sahara Desert. Some of the birds took two months to complete their mammoth journeys, including a stopover in West Africa.

This individual entered Zambia from Tanzania on 16 Nov 2004 at c. 9°01'S, 32°01'E (i.e. near Old Mambwe), then moved southwards between Isoka and Chinsali, before turning east to Chama Dist., crossing the Upper Luangwa near the Musi confluence on the afternoon of 18 Nov. Twenty-four hours later she was further south, in Malawi, and after a long spell in Mozambique, crossed over to Madagascar on 3 Mar 2005. It's somewhat ironic that in this technological age of instant data, it has still taken several years for news of this bird to reach Zambian ornithologists…

This species is a dynamic, Mediterranean, cliff-nesting specialist. It is unusual among birds of prey in having a reproductive cycle adapted to match the southward migration of passerine birds, which it eats. This means it breeds much later than many other species, with the young hatching in late August. The species was named after Giudicessa Eleonora de Arborea (1350-1404), a Sardinian princess who fought for Sardinia's independence from the Kingdom of Aragon, and who drafted the first laws in Europe protecting birds of prey.

There is one previous Zambian claim and details of this are below. This is the 753rd species to be recorded in Zambia.

Reference: Gschweng M., Kalko E.K.V., Querner V., Fiedler W. & Berthold P. 2008. All across Africa: highly individual migration routes of Eleonora's falcon. Proc. R. Soc. B. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.0575.

A. Riley, Box 201701, Durban North 4016, South Africa