Lanner (Falco biarmicus)

The Lanner invites comparison with the Peregrine, since both are large, powerful, highly aerial falcons. But where the Peregrine is all muscular power, the Lanner is slimmer, long tailed and more elegant. And where the Peregrine is very much a bird specialist, striking all of its prey in mid-air, the Lanner also eats reptiles and mammals, snatching them on the ground. The Peregrine requires cliffs for nesting, whereas the Lanner can also use trees, using the old nests of crows and other birds, or sometimes requisitioning them from the current owners. And where the Peregrine is often found in cold and lush places, the Lanner copes with bleak, dry, barren landscapes holding a low density of potential food, and is often found in rugged mountains and on the edge of deserts.

By Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa – Lanner falcon, Falco biarmicus, at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58710103

Lanners live in large home ranges all year round, occupying them in pairs. The bond between male and female is very strong, and the Lanner is noted for the frequency with which pairs hunt co-operatively, particularly in the winter. One bird will flush or chivvy prey, whilst the other delivers the fatal strike.

The Lanner is actually a flexible hunter, using a variety of techniques. Many birds are caught after a stoop from high above. Mammals and lizards are taken as the Lanner flies low and rapidly over the ground, interrupting its forward progress for a quick plunge to earth. But the technique suits the moment: for example, a Lanner has been recorded stooping 200m straight down to snatch a bird from off a rock, showing not only remarkable flying skills, but also audacious opportunism.

From ‘Birds: A Complete Guide to All British and European Species’, by Dominic Couzens. Published by Collins and reproduced with permission.