According to the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület, MME), National Geographic has for the first time featured a Hungarian natural science discovery in its international publications. The research, which began in Hungary, tracked the migration of red-footed falcons using satellite transmitters and led researchers to Angola, where they identified a gathering site for birds of prey on a scale previously unknown to science: FALCOPOLIS, ‘home to one million red-footed falcons’.
National Geographic takes notice of the research
The report published in the September international edition was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ed Yong, with photography by Hungarian photographer Ákos Stiller. The Hungarian-language edition will be published in October, potentially bringing this Hungarian conservation success story to an audience of up to 300 million readers worldwide.
FALCOPOLIS (FALCO = falcon; POLIS = city or city-state) was identified by Hungarian researchers in 2019 in central Angola. It is currently the largest known wintering aggregation of birds of prey in the world. Every March, hundreds of thousands of red-footed falcons – potentially as many as one million – gather here before returning to their breeding grounds in Europe and Central Asia. As a significant proportion of the estimated global population of the species converges on this site each year, the future of the entire species depends on what happens to this area. Following the discovery, a Hungarian-led initiative was launched to prepare for the site’s protection.
A research camp for the next 60 years
The MME team members are directly responsible for carrying out the research activities within the project. The expedition in March 2026 brought together an MME staff member, international volunteers from the FALCOPOLIS Foundation, a representative of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, a film and photography crew, and the local partners Orbis Angola and INBAC.
The year’s most significant milestone was the establishment of a research camp. Orbis Angola and the FALCOPOLIS Foundation secured the right to use one hectare of land for conservation purposes for a period of 60 years. The camp was funded by Hungarian-owned A-M Hungary Kft. Ringing, satellite tagging and environmental education for the local community all take place here.
‘Császár’s’ 34,217-kilometre journey
‘Császár’ (‘Emperor’), a male red-footed falcon fitted with a satellite transmitter near Dinnyés in 2025 as part of the LIFE20 NAT/SK/001077 red-footed falcon conservation project, provided particularly valuable data on migration. Researchers successfully downloaded his GPS data at FALCOPOLIS in 2026 using a ground-based antenna, and the bird subsequently returned to its Hungarian breeding grounds after migration.
The data record a full year’s journey from Hungary to its wintering grounds in southern Africa and back – a total of 34,217 kilometres. In September, ‘Császár’ covered 3,676 kilometres in a single uninterrupted flight over four days, spending approximately 98 hours in continuous flight. When ringed, the bird weighed just 150 grams and was roughly the size of a dove.
Up to one million birds
The median estimates from three population counts conducted with the help of volunteers were 250,000 birds on 18 March, 475,000 on 21 March and 750,000 on 29 March. Based on the range of estimates, the peak gathering may have reached as many as one million birds.
Poaching on the decline, habitat remains vulnerable
During night patrols in 2026, researchers detected no organised poaching, marking a significant change from previous years, when tens of thousands of red-footed falcons may have ended up on the market. Continued protection is nevertheless essential: the team also documented an individual transporting a bird intended for sale.
The greatest long-term risk is the loss of mature mango and eucalyptus trees used by the falcons as communal roosts. These trees are valuable sources of firewood and charcoal, making them vulnerable to felling. The team has therefore begun compiling an inventory of trees and has also mapped the approximately 5 km² area using a drone. These data could provide the basis for future habitat protection decisions.
Local communities hold the key to conservation
FALCOPOLIS can only be protected successfully in partnership with local communities. Cooperation with INBAC and the local authorities, school programmes, joint tree-planting initiatives and the conservation commitment made by a local football team called the ‘Falcons’ all aim to establish the red-footed falcon as a natural treasure that local people themselves are committed to protecting.
After their matches, young players from the team speak to spectators about why they no longer hunt the falcons.
The public will also have an opportunity to experience the red-footed falcon conservation project’s immersive 360-degree film at the Tata Wild Goose Festival on 28 November.