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PLATE 30: LARGE FALCONS
Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus pm, wv
L: 42–52. W: 95–115. Peregrine-sized, resembling Saker Falcon in plumage and shape; long
wings, slightly blunt-ended when soaring; tail relatively long. Adult from Saker by barred,
greyish upperparts, distinctly barred uppertail, more contrasting head pattern: black forehead
band, clear-cut narrow black eye-stripe, conspicuous moustache and spot-bars on flanks.
Crown unstreaked creamy-buff (Middle Eastern tanypterus), chestnut (NE African abyssinicus) or
pale rufous rear crown and nape (European feldeggii). Juvenile dark brown above with boldly
streaked underparts and rear underwing-coverts; unbarred closed uppertail (unlike most Sakers).
Contrasting underwing pattern and more densely streaked underparts separates it from juvenile
Peregrine and Barbary Falcons. Moderately slow, stiff wingbeats, faster when hunting; stoops or
runs down prey; soars with wings level or slightly upcurved. Voice Slow, scolding kraee-kraee-kraee
at breeding site. Habitat Mountains, plains and semi-deserts. Note Declining; dispersal hatched,
but rare; escapes confuse true picture.Saker Falcon Falco cherrug pm, wv
L: 47–55. W: 105–125. Like Lanner Falcon but larger, heavier-chested with creamy crown (sometimes
just nape), unbarred kestrel-like contrast above, less distinctly barred uppertail, poorly developed
moustache and less contrasting head pattern (diffuse eye-stripe, no dark band on forehead). Whitish
supercilium often more conspicuous and belly more spotted, but lacks Lanner’s spot-bars on flanks.
Sakers are greyish above with dark bars, including uppertail; these are best told by head pattern
and size. Juvenile similar to young Lanner, but outer tail feathers generally conspicuously spotted
buff on outer webs (seen well in half-spread tail) and dark stripe behind eye less clear-cut; best told
by size. When perched, wing-tip falls short of tail-tip (unlike most Lanners) and ‘trousers’ heavier,
covering much of tarsus. Slow, flattish wingbeats; when soaring, wings flat or slightly upcurved.
Voice Like Peregrine, but harsher; also thin, querulous note like cross between Curlew and Herring
Gull of W. Europe. Habitat Wooded steppes, foothills, mountains, semi-deserts. Note Passage and
winter hatched; declining and rare in all areas.Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus PM, WV
L: 40–52. W: 85–120. Large, stocky with relatively short tail and broad-based, sharply tapering
wings, more pointed than Saker and Lanner when soaring. Adult told by black crown and bold
moustache, contrasting with white throat and cheeks, barred underparts, white upper breast
and uniform underwing. Juvenile has smaller whitish cheek-patch (not reaching eye, unlike Saker
and Lanner) and also uniform underwing (unlike Saker and Lanner). Young of migrant calidus are
tricky, showing Saker-like head pattern and large size, but told by underwing pattern and wing shape.
Subspecies breeding in region, brookei, is more compact, like Barbary Falcon, with salmon wash to
breast and sometimes rufous wash on nape. Fairly quick, shallow, stiff wingbeats; impressive when
hunting, with long, fast stoops. Voice Alarm loud, scolding aack-ack-ack. Habitat Mountains, forests,
cliffs; outside breeding season also marshes, wastelands. Note Passage and winter hatched.Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides PM, rb
L: 32–45. W: 80–100. Resembles Peregrine, especially brookei, but slightly narrower-based wings
give impression of longer tail. Adult told by rufous nape and rear eyebrow, narrower moustache
and larger pale cheek-patch, almost reaching eye; more creamy, less barred underparts, confined
to flanks in E. Iranian babylonicus, which has redder crown; underwing whiter with more extensive
dark wing-tips than Peregrine; often with dark ‘comma’ on greater primary coverts; upperparts
paler blue-grey, with darker end to tail. Juvenile like Peregrine, but narrower moustache, larger
cheek-patch, tawny supercilium and rusty nape; rustier underparts with thinner, more restricted
streaks. Some juveniles have yellow cere and legs soon after fledging (in Peregrine blue-grey,
usually becoming yellow in first winter). From young Lanner by pattern of underwing and underparts.
Voice Harsh keck-keck-keck, less hacking than Peregrine. Habitat Arid mountains, semi-deserts.
Note Some autumn and winter dispersal; vagrant Kuwait, Qatar.