Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Lanner Falcon

THIS week, we take a look at a very graceful but also very lethal bird, the Lanner Falcon.

Also read: Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – Southern Double-collared Sunbird

Description

The Lanner Falcon is a medium-sized raptor at 42cm in length with a weight of approximately 490g for the male and 690g for the noticeably larger female. The head is mainly rufous (reddish-brown) in colour with a noticeable narrow black cap which extends in narrow bands down the side of the head. The back is slate grey, and the underparts are whitish with very fine, light grey streaks. Males and females have very similar colouration. The Lanner Falcon can be confused with the Peregrine Falcon which is slightly slimmer and which has an all-black head.

Distribution

The Lanner Falcon can be found across the whole of South Africa with high concentrations in central areas, including Lesotho and the south-eastern parts of the country.

Habitat

The preferred habitat for Lanner Falcons is open grassland or areas with steep cliffs. This species has, however, adapted very well to the presence of humans. The presence of large numbers of pigeons and doves in city areas provides ample food for the Lanner Falcon, and it is one of the reasons why they can now be found in densely populated areas where they nest on ledges of tall buildings.

Feeding

The Lanner Falcon feeds predominantly on birds up to the size of a pigeon. They will also occasionally feed on small mammals, including bats. They often hunt in pairs, and as they are exceptionally strong and fast fliers, their prey have little chance of escape.

Breeding

Lanner Falcons are monogamous and mate for life. The nests are very basic and often consist of just a small scrape or depression on a cliff edge or the edge of a tall building. The female lays one to five eggs which take approximately 32 days to hatch. The chicks fledge at about 44 days. The female remains close to the nest until the chicks fledge while the male provides all the food.

Predators and threats

Unfortunately, this species is listed as Near-Threatened in South Africa by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the use of chemicals in agriculture is thought to be one of the main reasons for the decline in numbers.

Local information

The best sites to find Lanner Falcons in the Highway area is along the cliffs of the Kloof Gorge. The Ntombeni Grasslands (near the Lingwood Trig beacon) or the cliffs near the Rumdoddle climbing site are almost guaranteed to produce good sightings.

Interesting facts

The Lanner Falcon is exceptionally fast at despatching its prey. It has very powerful talons to grip its prey, but these are usually not strong enough to kill the prey. This is usually done by a special notch on its beak called a tomial tooth (a feature present in most raptors). This very sharp tooth is used to bite the prey’s neck which kills it instantly.

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