Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus) lives in desert, savannah across Sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds on small mammals birds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Lanner Falcon
- The lanner falcon may have been the sacred bird of ancient Egypt, its likeness appearing on the heads of gods such as Ra and Horus. This iconic role links the species to millennia-old religious art and suggests a special cultural status. The bird is a medium-sized raptor that breeds across Africa, southeast Europe and into Asia, reinforcing its wide historic presence.
- Genetic studies place the lanner falcon as the oldest surviving hierofalcon, with its lineage diverging during the Eemian interglacial about 130,000-115,000 years ago. After this split, the species became isolated in sub-Saharan Africa during the Riss glaciation, which lasted from 200,000 to 130,000 years ago. This long, separate history underpins its distinct evolutionary position among falcons.
- Lanner falcons are known to hunt bats in both Africa and Israel, highlighting their hunting flexibility. Their diet also includes a variety of birds such as doves, pigeons and domestic chickens, and they will take small mammals, reptiles and invertebrates when available.
- When pursuing jackdaws, lanners hunt cooperatively, using visual contact to synchronise their attacks and achieve a high success rate. They typically chase in a fast, low coursing flight and may also attack from a perch, switching to a horizontal pursuit of birds in flight. In these hunts the male usually initiates the attack, while the female most often makes the final capture. This teamwork lets them take agile prey that would be harder for a single bird.
- Hybrid offspring between lanners and peregrines, called perilanners, sometimes appear in the wild. Lanners are bred in captivity for falconry, which creates the opportunity for these crosses.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSub-Saharan Africa
HabitatDesert, savannah
DietSmall mammals birds
About the Lanner Falcon
As the sun rises over the savannah, a sleek and agile form cuts through the sky, the Lanner Falcon slicing effortlessly on thermals of warm air, its wings beating in a hypnotic rhythm. With eyes attuned to the slightest movement, this formidable hunter patrols its domain, a mastery of speed and stealth that has earned it a revered place among the bird kingdoms of Africa and Eurasia. In a flash of tawny brown and slate grey, the Lanner Falcon dives, a precision-guided missile homing in on its unsuspecting prey.
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