Bird Guide

Amur Falcon vs Lanner Falcon

Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis)

Amur Falcon

Falco amurensis

Medium142 gGrassland

Males are characteristically dark sooty grey above with rufous thighs and vent. In flight, the wing lining is white, contrasting with the dark wing feathers. Adult males of the closely related red-footed falcon have a dark grey wing lining. In Africa, males can be confused with melanistic Gabar goshawks, but the chestnut on the vent is distinctive. Also, there may be some superficial resemblance to the sooty falcon and the grey kestrel, but those two species both have yellow feet and cere.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Amur Falcon
Recorded by Mike Prince · Call · Doyang Reservoir, Wokha, Nagaland, India · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Henry de Lange · CC BY 4.0
Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus)

Lanner Falcon

Falco biarmicus

Large606 gShrubland

It is a large falcon, at 43–50 cm (17–20 in) length with a wingspan of 95–105 cm (37–41 in). Eurasian lanner falcons (Falco biarmicus feldeggi, also called Feldegg's falcon) have slate grey or brown-grey upperparts; most African subspecies are a paler blue grey above. The breast is streaked in northern birds, resembling greyish saker falcons, but the lanner has a reddish back to the head. Sexes are similar, but the browner young birds resemble saker falcons even more. However, sakers have a lighter top of the head and less clear head-side patterns. The lanner's call is a harsh "wray-e".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Amur Falcon and Lanner Falcon.