Male Lanner Falcon
Male Lanner falcon Lightning sits on a perch during the 2006 Romsey and Ellingham Show 12th August 2006 Lightning was taking part in a display from the Liberty Raptor and Reptile Centre The Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus is a large bird of prey that breeds in Africa southeast Europe and just into Asia It is mainly resident but some birds disperse more widely after the breeding season The scientific or Latin name biarmicus comes from the fact that the Lanner has a sharp raised point located on its beak s edge about half the distance from the end of the beak to the corner of the mouth Thus it is doubly armed with two cutting weapons on its beak Ironically nearly all falcons have this same type of beak structure It is a bird of open country and savannah It lays 3 4 eggs on a cliff ledge nest or occasionally in an old stick nest in a tree Lanner Falcon is a large falcon at 43 50cm length with a wingspan of 95 105cm It is like a large Peregrine Falcon in general structure It usually hunts by horizontal pursuit rather than the Peregrine s stoop from a height and takes mainly bird prey in flight European Lanner Falcons have slate grey or brown grey upperparts but the African birds are a paler blue grey above The breast is streaked but the belly is whitish unlike Saker Falcon Sexes are similar but the browner young birds resemble Saker However they never show the all dark thighs of the larger species The call is a harsh wray e In falconry its male is called a lanneret Lanner falcons are prized in falconry as an excellent first falcon Displaying a good nature sometimes lacking in more highly powered birds what Lanners lack in hunting prowess they more than make up for in personality Outstandingly manouverable they use their large tails and relatively low wing loading to perform exceptionally to the lure and can take a range of small birds as prey One of the few raptors to attack prey head on at times their tactics of ambush and surprise make them entertaining birds for crowds
Size: 3602px × 5594px
Location: Romsey and Ellingham Show, Romsey, Hampshire, UK
Photo credit: © 3N20 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: biarmicus, bird, britain, british, carnivore, carnivorous, ellingham, england, english, falco, fourt4, great, hampshire, hants, hunter, isles, jon, kingdom, male, perch, perching, prey, raptor, roach, romsey, uk, united, vertical
