Lanner Falcon: Old World Classic & Falconry Guide

The lanner falcon is one of the Old World's classic falconry birds, historically significant across the very regions where the sport took shape. Its range tells the story: from Italy and Greece through Georgia, Armenia, and Iran, down through Ethiopia, Sudan, and East Africa to Angola and South Africa. Across that sweep the lanner hunts deserts, plains, savannas, and forest edges, nesting on rocky cliffs from sea level to about 7,500 feet. It remains a fixture of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern falconry heritage — the same traditions celebrated at today's international falconry festivals. Globally the species is listed as Least Concern, though European populations are declining and considered at risk; the lanners flown in American falconry are captive-bred birds.

What Makes Lanner Falcons Special

The lanner occupies a distinctive middle ground in longwing falconry: genuine Old World heritage, a flexible hunting style built for varied country, and — for US falconers — an acquisition path that runs through breeders rather than a trapping season:

Unique Advantages

Captive-bred availability: Lanners are not native to the US, so the birds here come from breeders — no wild-take slot, no trapping trip, and no waiting on a passage season
Workable reputation: Old World falconers have long regarded the lanner as a steady, manageable falcon — one reason it is often discussed as a sensible first longwing
Versatility: Wild lanners take prey ranging from larks, doves, and ducks to bats, rodents, reptiles, and large insects — a generalist streak that shows in the varied flight styles they offer a falconer
Practical size: At roughly 24.5-32 oz, a lanner is substantial enough for real game flights yet small enough to house and handle comfortably; as with falcons generally, females are noticeably larger than males

Temperament

Falconers who fly lanners often describe them as composed, observant falcons — less intense than a peregrine, and steadier through the early stages of training. Treat that reputation as a starting point rather than a guarantee: individual birds vary widely, and a calm species label has never excused sloppy handling.

The species' wild habits hint at why it reads as thoughtful. Lanners frequently hunt cooperatively in pairs, one bird flushing prey while its partner makes the catch. You should not expect to fly lanners in a coordinated cast the way Harris's Hawk falconers do, but the instinct says something about the bird: this is a falcon built to watch, position, and adjust rather than simply overwhelm.

None of this makes a lanner casual to keep. It is still a falcon, with a falcon's food drive and a falcon's need for consistency — daily weighing, regular flying, and calm, predictable handling are what actually produce the steady bird the reputation promises.

Hunting Style

Wild lanners hunt two very different ways: swift, low-altitude pursuit along slopes and cliff faces, and high stoops from altitude. That two-gear range is exactly what makes the species interesting to fly:

Waiting On

Like other longwings, a lanner can be trained toward the classic waiting-on style — circling overhead while the falconer flushes quarry below, then committing to the stoop. The species' natural willingness to attack from height makes the style available; the pitch and polish you get will depend on the individual bird and the consistency of your training.

Direct Pursuit

The lanner's other gear is the fast, low chase — hugging contours and working slopes the way wild birds course along cliff lines. If your ground is rolling or broken rather than the vast open flats that ideal peregrine hawking demands, this flatter style may be the one your country actually supports.

A hunt day with a lanner looks like classic game hawking scaled to the ground available. The falcon travels hooded and calm, is cast off where quarry is expected, and either climbs to wait on overhead or is slipped into a direct pursuit as the situation offers. Between flights the falconer manages weight and condition with the same discipline any longwing demands — the quality of the day was mostly decided in the weeks of conditioning before it.

Lanner vs. Peregrine

The peregrine is the yardstick against which every falcon gets measured, so it is worth making the comparison directly:

Speed: The peregrine owns the vertical game, with stoops measured at over 240 mph. The lanner is a genuinely fast falcon, but its signature is the swift, low pursuit along slopes and cliffs rather than record-setting dives
Flight style: Classic peregrine falconry means waiting-on flights over big, open country. A lanner can work that style too, but it adds the flatter, contour-hugging chase — a practical advantage where the terrain is varied
Margin for error: Peregrines are advanced-class birds with narrower margins than buteos. The lanner carries a reputation for being somewhat more forgiving by longwing standards — though every falcon demands daily precision, and no reputation replaces a gram scale
Price: Captive-bred peregrines typically run $1,500-5,000+ depending on lineage. Lanner pricing varies by breeder and availability — ask breeders directly for current figures rather than budgeting from secondhand numbers

Quarry

Common Prey

Mainly birds

• Larks and other small birds
• Doves
• Ducks
• Occasionally small raptors

Also taken

• Rodents
• Bats
• Reptiles
• Large insects

Those lists describe the wild diet, and they translate honestly: the lanner is fundamentally a bird hawk with a practical streak. What you actually fly one at depends on your terrain and on what your state lists as legal quarry — confirm the regulations for your hunting ground before planning a season.

Acquisition

There is no trapping a passage lanner in the United States. The species is not native, so the acquisition path looks different from the classic apprentice wild take:

Getting a Lanner Falcon

Captive-bred only: American lanners come from breeders — there is no US wild population and no wild-take season for the species
Not a native species: The lanner's home range runs from the Mediterranean through the Middle East and across Africa; it fills its role in American falconry as an inherited tradition, not a local bird
Pricing: Figures vary with breeder, lineage, age, and how much training has been started — contact breeders for current prices rather than relying on secondhand numbers
Paperwork: Rules for non-native, captive-bred raptors differ from wild-take rules and vary by state — confirm the requirements with your state wildlife agency, and lean on your sponsor's experience before committing

Training Considerations

Training a lanner follows the standard longwing arc — manning, fist and lure work, creance, then free flight and entering. Four points deserve particular attention:

Food response drives everything: Like every falcon, a lanner works for food. Build a clean, immediate response to the lure early and protect it — the lure is your recall, your conditioning tool, and your safety net
Weight matters daily: A mid-sized falcon has meaningfully less margin than a red-tail, though more than a tiny kestrel — bigger birds carry wider windows. Weigh every day, log every session, and adjust in small steps
Fitness makes the flight: The flights you want — a long, committed chase or a proper pitch overhead — only come from a fit falcon. Plan regular conditioning flights between hunting days, exactly as peregrine falconers do
Hood work and carriage: Calm hooding and steady carriage on the fist are foundations for any longwing. Invest the time early: a falcon that hoods cleanly travels better, stays composed around dogs and people, and is safer in the field

Is a Lanner Falcon Right for You?

Consider a lanner if you hold a General-class license, you want your first falcon after learning the craft on a buteo, and your hunting country is open or rolling rather than the huge flat expanses ideal peregrine hawking assumes. It also suits falconers drawn to the sport's Old World roots — this is the heritage falcon of the regions where falconry's traditions run deepest.

Look elsewhere if you are still an apprentice — US federal rules limit apprentices to designated beginner species such as the Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel — or if what you really want is the ultimate high-pitch stooping specialist, which is and will always be the peregrine. And if you cannot commit to daily weighing and regular flying, no falcon is the right bird yet.

Day to day, lanner care is standard falcon care done consistently. Mornings start with a weigh-in on a gram scale and a quick check of feet, feathers, cere, and attitude. The bird gets weathering time, measured feeding matched to tomorrow's plans, and clean, dry housing with well-designed perches. Between hunts, conditioning flights keep fitness where the hunting requires it — the routine is unglamorous, and it is the whole game.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are lanner falcons good for beginner falconers?

Not for US apprentices — federal rules limit apprentice falconers to designated beginner species such as the Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel, and a lanner requires a General-class license. Among falcons, however, the lanner has a longstanding reputation as one of the more manageable longwings, which is why it is often discussed as a sensible first falcon for falconers moving up after their apprenticeship.

Can you own a lanner falcon in the United States?

Yes, with the appropriate falconry license. Lanners are not native to North America, so they are kept as captive-bred birds purchased from breeders rather than trapped from the wild. Regulations covering non-native, captive-bred raptors differ from wild-take rules and vary by state, so confirm the specifics with your state wildlife agency before arranging a purchase.

What is the difference between a lanner and a peregrine falcon?

The peregrine is the vertical-speed specialist — an advanced-class bird famous for stoops measured at over 240 mph from a high pitch. The lanner is a mid-sized Old World falcon that mixes high stoops with fast, low pursuit along slopes and cliffs, and wild lanners often hunt cooperatively in pairs. In falconry terms: the peregrine is the ultimate open-country stooping falcon, while the lanner is the flexible classic with a reputation for being somewhat more forgiving.

The Bottom Line

The lanner is the Old World's classic falcon — a heritage species from the regions that shaped falconry itself, and a practical one: a mid-sized longwing with two honest hunting gears and a reputation for being workable by falcon standards.

If you are a General-class falconer ready for a first longwing, put the lanner on the shortlist. Talk to breeders early, confirm your state's rules on non-native captive-bred raptors, and have your ground and your routine ready before the bird arrives — the falcon will only ever be as good as the preparation around it.