Appearance: The Lanner Falcon is a medium-sized falcon with a sleek, streamlined body and long, pointed wings. It has a distinctive facial pattern with a dark ‘moustache’ mark below its eyes and a white throat. Its back and wings are typically gray or brown, and its underparts are lighter with streaks or bars.

Habitat: In Morocco, the Lanner Falcon inhabits a variety of habitats, including open savannas, grasslands, arid scrublands, and rocky cliffs. It can also be found in semi-desert areas and agricultural landscapes. Lanner Falcons are adaptable and can thrive in both natural and human-altered environments.

Diet: Lanner Falcons are versatile hunters with a varied diet that includes birds, small mammals, reptiles, and insects. They are skilled aerial hunters, using their speed and agility to pursue prey in flight. Their diet may include pigeons, doves, small songbirds, rodents, lizards, and insects like grasshoppers and beetles.

Behavior: Lanner Falcons are fast and agile flyers known for their impressive aerial acrobatics. They often hunt by stooping from great heights to catch flying prey or by pursuing prey in horizontal flight. Like other falcons, they have a strong territorial instinct and will defend their nesting sites from intruders.

Breeding: Breeding typically occurs in the spring and summer months, with pairs establishing territories and building nests on cliff ledges, rocky outcrops, or in abandoned stick nests of other birds. The female lays a clutch of eggs, usually numbering between two to four, and both parents participate in incubating the eggs and caring for the young.

Conservation: The Lanner Falcon is considered to be of Least Concern globally, but like many raptors, it faces threats such as habitat loss, persecution, and pesticide contamination. Conservation efforts focused on habitat protection, monitoring populations, and raising awareness about the importance of raptor conservation are crucial for ensuring the continued survival of the Lanner Falcon in Morocco and beyond.