OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Herpetotheres ("mows down reptiles") cachinnans ("laughing")
Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025
Featured Subspecies: Herpetotheres cachinnans cachinnans
Weight: 400-800g / Length: 45-56cm / Wingspan: 79-84cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
A somewhat taxonomically distinct falcon with it's own family genus - the laughing falcon is a specialist in feeding on snakes which it drops down onto from a high perch. As it's prey is snakes it is mainly associated with lowlands where they are more numerous. As snake hunters, some indigenous cultures associate them with the healing of snake bites. The english name comes from it's somewhat laughing like calls.
Related Species:
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Herpetotheres
SUBSPECIES: H. c. cachinnans, H. c. fulvescens
- Sighting Locations -
COSTA RICA - Spanish - Halcón Reidor
A fairly common resident
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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