Falco biarmicus - Lanner Falcon
Feather characters. Barbules can be rather long (2.0-2.4 mm). Pigment is absent or concentrated in nodes. Slightly thickened nodes (10-12 per mm) are equally distributed along the entire length of barbules, only slightly decreasing in size towards distal end. Villi are absent and internodes are occasionally kinked. Minute prongs are present on distal end of barbules and on both sides of the pennulum.
Field characters. Length 43-52 cm; wingspan 95-115 cm. Weight 593 g (402-910) (Dunning, 1993). Upperparts blue-brown, paler on rump and tail; upper tail with dark bars and white tip. Crown and nape pale rufous or sandy; thin black stripe along uppercheeks and thin, black moustachial stripe on white cheeks. Flanks and thighs heavily spotted, rest of white underparts with fewer spots. Underwing pale. Juvenile plain darker brown above with underparts more heavily spotted and streaked than adult.
Voice. Resembles Peregine, but higher pitched.
Distribution. Rare resident. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Haunts open country ; nests in inaccessible crags and rock faces, sometimes in trees.
Food. Prey caught in the air or on ground after surprise attack. Diet consists mainly of small to medium-sized birds, but it takes also rats, rabbits, bats, lizards, snakes, locusts, and beetles.