This species occurs in hot, arid environments on cliffs, small rocky islands and rugged desert mountains on the mainland (Aspinall and Porter 2011). It breeds colonially almost exclusively on nearshore islands; its breeding is timed to coincide with the autumn migration of small passerine birds, on which it feeds (Jennings 2010). In the non-breeding season, it forages for large insects further inland over grassland and open country with trees. The nest is a shallow depression dug into the ground (Gaucher et al. 1988) or on rock, positioned in the shade of trees, bushes or rocks (Jennings 2010). The breeding season peaks between June and August. Clutches contain two to three, occasionally up to four eggs (Jennings 2010). It is a migratory species, with birds arriving in their wintering grounds in Madagascar and south-east Africa from late October, and returning to breeding sites in April/May (del Hoyo et al. 1994). Migrants generally travel singly, or in pairs or small flocks (Brown et al. 1982, Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001). Satellite tracking of an adult bird from the UAE showed that it took 13 days to migrate to Madagascar, following an inland route of >5,600 km and stopping over at three sites in East Africa with some shrub cover and fresh water (Javed et al. 2012).