Fares Khoury, Khaled Abu-Tayeh, Tarek Qaneer, Raed Saleem
Abstract This report presents the available data and the results of the first rapid assessment of the Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor) population in Jordan, including a preliminary distribution model. The species was recorded at 18 sites, some of which were recently discovered, mainly in the Hizma basin close to the Saudi border, and along the southern and Dead Sea Rift Margins. The model, along with knowledge gained during recent fieldwork, will aid in planning a systematic breeding population survey, which will serve as the baseline for a monitoring program and conservation actions for this threatened species in Jordan. As the breeding population in southern Jordan appears to be continuous with the recently surveyed inland populations of north-western Saudi Arabia, the authors suggest cross-border cooperation, which could improve future actions to protect this species from further decline.