The Gyrfalcon is the largest of these magnificent birds. They breed mainly on the cold coasts of the Arclic Circle, and they are also dispersed throughout islands in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

They will eat birds as well as small mammals, but the actual kill is nearly always on the ground. If their prey is a bird they will usually force it to the ground before dispatching it.

They are very fond of high cliffs. The majority of their nests can be found on the sheerest cliffs, and it is here where they lay their eggs and breed their young.

These are formidable birds and so predators are few in number. The huge golden eagle can be a nuisance, but even these rarely trouble such an aggressive potential prey. They will even attack brown bears if these come too close to their nests.

The Saker Falcon is a bird of the Steppes, sub desert and open plains (and very occasionally denser forest). Hunting takes place in open country over areas of about 4000 metres. the Sakers main diet consists of small mammals, lizards and small to medium sized birds. It will even eat large insects. They will selct a disused Eagle, Buzzard or Vulture nest for their own nesting and can be found as high as 20 metres. Alternatively they may choose to nest on a rocky ledge. They will lay 3-6 eggs which are incubated by both parents with the female taking on the bigger role whilst being fed with prey by the male who also takes on the hunting duties. Breeding season is from March to August, the young leave the nest between 45-50 days but further depend on their parents for another 4-6 months.

It is widely distributed throughout Central europe and Asia, Africa, Northern India and Southern China.

The Peregrine X Lanner is a cross-breed. Cross breeding of Peregrine type falcons originated when it became almost impossible to obtain a pure Peregrine falcon from the wild under licence. Captive breeding was just becoming successful and there was a great pressure to breed the peregrine species, both for sport and conservation purposes.

The Peregrine X Lanner has the desirable traits of both species. From the peregrine we have the size, speed, hard feathers and the aggression to prey. the Lanner gives owners the ability to work in much more enclosed country. they also have stunning agility and great reliability.

When you see falcons at flying or hunting demonstrations, it is most likely that they belong to this group.

The Kestrel is the most common and widespread of the Falcons. It is found in almost all types of open or semi-open spaces and can often be seen hovering at the edge of motorways as it watches the ground for voles, mice and insects. The male is smaller than ther female and has a blue grey head, rump and tail with reddish brown back and wings. The tail also has a black bar accross it's breadth. The larger female is a light chesnut colour with dark spots and a barred tail.

It is distributed throughout the British Isles, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia (except for the far north); and parts of Africa, excluding desert areas.

The kestrel is not a lover of mountains. It prefers open areas, such as fields, marslands and areas of low shrubbery.