Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus)

English and Scientific Name: Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Observation:  The first thing I noticed about the falcon was that it didn’t have the blue/grey appearance that most falcons that I’ve seen have.  It was brown.  I never even thought a falcon could be brown and if I saw it without the name I would never think to call it a falcon.  The second thing I noticed about the falcon is the eyes (you can see it clearly in the picture), they are seemed to be big and stand out and gave me a sense that the falcon was actually thinking about what was going on its surroundings at the time we viewed it at the wildlife refuge.

Questions:

1.      Why is the color of this falcon different than most?

2.      Where does this type of falcon live?

3.      How does breeding occur when in captivity?

Scientific Research:

Epstein, Hans J.  The Origin and Earliest History of Falconry, Isis, Vol. 34, No. 6 (Autumn, 1943), pp. 497-509.  Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/225894

How does breeding occur when in captivity?

According to Epstein, Falcons cannot be bred in captivity, and thus each individual bird presents a new and ever varying experiment in trapping and training.

Website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanner_Falcon
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Lanner_Falcon
http://www.avianweb.com/lannerfalcon.html
http://www.falconrybirds.com/Pages/birds-lanner.shtml