Fun Lanner Falcon Facts For Kids

The lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus) as its scientific name suggests is a bird of prey. They are mainly found in the countries of Africa, Asia, as well as some parts of the European region. These falcons are considered unique and special because of their fast speed. There are around 30 or more falcons out of which the peregrine falcons are considered the most special as they can fly for a maximum of 242.3 mph (390 kph). Peregrine falcons, as well as the gyrfalcons, are considered to be the rarest falcons.

Lanner falcons do not belong to the rare group of falcons. These are solitary and monogamous creatures who live with only one partner per lifetime. These birds have a breeding season of almost 11 months all over the world, and every region of their distribution has just three to four months of this breeding season. They do not build their own nest but use an abandoned nest built by someone else. One can spot lanner falcons based on their red-brown head and slate-gray backs with spotted or streaked wings.

Read on to know more interesting facts about the lanner falcon. To know more about other falcons, check out a peregrine falcon and falcon facts too.

What type of animal is a Lanner falcon?

The lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus) is a bird belonging to the Falconidae family of animals.

What class of animal does a lanner falcon belong to?

These birds of prey are species that belong to the Aves class of animals across the world.

How many Lanner falcons are there in the world?

This bird's distribution range is considered to be wide and they are not extinct. Even though their exact global population is unknown, there is an estimation of around 430 to 840 breeding pairs of lanner falcons in Europe alone.

Where does a lanner falcon live?

These birds of prey have a large population flying across central, northern, and southern Africa. Their population range is also found in Asia and many southeast European regions.

What is a lanner falcon's habitat?

These birds prefer an open habitat without any threats to hunt freely. They are found hunting often in deserts, mountains, and forests. This species of Falco biarmicus is also found in grasslands, on cliffs, in the savannas, and the open countryside of Africa, Asia, and European regions as their preferred habitat for their breeding and nesting population.

Who do Lanner Falcons live with?

The Falco biarmicus is a solitary bird of prey and only lives in pairs, especially during the breeding season. A group of these falcons together is called a bazaar or an eyrie.

How long does a lanner falcon live?

The lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus) has a good lifespan in general, ranging from 15 to 17 years.

How do they reproduce?

Even though humans have tried to discover a lot about the Falco biarmicus, not much detail is known about their mating styles. Although human observations have reported that their breeding season varies as per their distribution range. It occurs anytime between January and November depending on whether the adult pair is located in southern, northern, or central Africa, southern Europe, or in the Sahara.

Technically during their breeding season, these pairs are known to soar high up in the sky and perform a few mating rituals like flying together and calling out with different sounds. These birds of prey do not build their nests with twigs or other materials. Instead, their nesting areas are often in between cliffs or on cliff ledges. They might use abandoned nests built by raptors or herons in trees, or on the desert ground.

Once the female adult lays three to four eggs, these eggs are incubated by both parents. The female has an average of four eggs and these are incubated for one month or 32 days. During the incubation period the male hunts for food, and the female helps hunting during the fledging stage which starts 47 days after the hatching of the eggs is complete. The young ones leave the nest around three months after they are born.

What is their conservation status?

Based on the Lanner falcons' populations across the world, they have been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Least Concern list of animals.

What do Lanner Falcons look like?

Lanner falcons usually have a blue-gray or slate-gray body with a white or reddish-brown head. Young or juvenile lanner falcons usually have brown as a dominating color. Based on their habitat range, this species has gray streaks or spots on their underparts with a plain white or off-white chest. They have yellow-colored legs, eye-rings, and a little yellow patch near the beak. A lanner falcon's beak is short and sharply hooked. Across the world, lanner falcon females are darker in color than males.

How cute are they?

Even though these birds of prey in flight look breathtaking, with their big button eyes and long-patterned wings, a human may not find lanner falcons cute.

How do they communicate?

Lanner falcons communicate with the help of their acoustics. They have different calls for different situations that usually have the sounds of 'kak-kak' repeated with various intonations.

How big is a Lanner Falcon?

Lanner falcons are twice the size of the American kestrel with a length range of 16.9-20 in (43-50 cm) and a wingspan of 37.4-41.3 in (95-105 cm).  Their wingspan might even extend to 43.3 in (110 cm).

How fast can a lanner falcon fly?

This Falco biarmicus is great at flying as it can attain speeds of 89.4 mph (144 kph) when on a hunt.

How much does a lanner falcon weigh?

Along with a middling length, these falcons have a small weight range too. This falcon bird has a weight range of merely 1.1-2 lb (500-900 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Yes, these birds do have different names as a male is called a tiercel and a female is called a falcon.

What would you call a baby Lanner falcon?

A young baby falcon is called an eyas or an eyass.

What do they eat?

These birds of prey are pure carnivores with a diet that consists of small birds, bats, quails, as well as insects like spiders, and scorpions. They might even go hunting for reptiles as their diet also includes lizards, anthropods, and rodents. They might also prey on ducks, chickens, and poultry in some instances.

Are they dangerous?

Although these birds don't mess with humans they do consider human beings as a threat when they are too close to their nest or eggs. In such cases, a lanner falcon might use its hooked beak to attack the human. This bird might even prey on humans while they are hunting to steal or catch food.

Would they make a good pet?

These wild birds of prey should not be kept as a pet. It is advised that untrained individuals do not hold or keep any peregrine birds, raptors, or any other bird of prey.

Did you know...

Although it is advised not to keep any birds of prey in captivity, trained falcons are usually sold for $ 200-3500 based on their length, weight, and overall size with training. To buy a falcon, one needs to take a Federal Falconry exam and acquire a license by completing an apprenticeship for two months and spending time with this bird of prey.

How fast can a falcon fly?

There are more than 30 species of falcons and all of them have an average flight speed ranging from 40-56 mph (64-91 kph), even the young ones. Peregrine falcons can reach a top speed of 240 mph (386 kph) when they dive for prey. A peregrine falcon happens to be the fastest flying bird in the sky!

Is a lanner falcon a hunter bird?

Although most carnivores hunt for food, a lanner falcon is called a hunter bird because it can hunt for its prey in bright daylight with its sharp binocular eyesight and fast flight speed. All these hunter birds like raptors, hawks, and falcons are hence called birds of prey.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including Northern gannet or Caspian tern.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our lanner falcon coloring pages.