The Lanner Falcon

The first edition of this book, published in 1992, was followed nearly a decade later by a new review of the species by the same author. That a third version of the book has been newly published underlines the continued and extensive research that Giovanni Leonardi has since carried out. The author describes this as ‘not simply [a] review’ of Lanner falcon biology but ‘an attempt to create a new overview of the species that can hopefully serve as a starting point for future research.’

Running to 300 pages, plus 32 additional pages of coloured-plates and photographs, the book presents a significant and detailed overview of what is known about the Lanner Falcon. Sections on History, taxonomy and genetics; Structure and functions; Distribution and population estimates; Territory and breeding densities; Breeding season; Breeding strategies; Diet and hunting techniques; Movements; and Threats and Conservation, are followed by a very short section on related species. Throughout, the text is well referenced – there are 27 pages of references at the end of the book – and the author has clearly researched across a broad range of publications. Supporting the text, and the author’s interpretations of different components of the species’ ecology, are numerous graphs, tables, maps and black and white photographs.

This is a well-researched and authoritative monograph, setting a high standard. My only criticism, and it is a minor one given that the author is not writing in his first language, is that the English used sometimes fails to portray what I think the author intends. Having always seen the Lanner as a poor relation to the more impressive Peregrine and Gyrfalcon, I think that Leonardi has shifted my view. This is an interesting falcon, occupying a not insignificant geographic area and range of habitats.

Book reviewed by Mike Toms