Bird Album
Laughing Falcon
Herpetotheres cachinnans (Linnaeus, 1758)
624 gWeight
The laughing falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in subfamily Herpetotherinae of family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras.
Busiest months: January–March · Most records: Costa Rica, Belize, Colombia
Where and when it's recorded
Laughing Falcon has been recorded at 724 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 19 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- MEX - Veracruz- MInatitlan - Pantano de Santa AlejandrinMexico2,081 records
- Estación Biológica La Selva-OTSCosta Rica1,924 records
- Arenal Observatory LodgeCosta Rica1,192 records
More places
- Finca La GraciaGuatemala1,117 records
- Refugio mixto Caño NegroCosta Rica963 records
- Rancho NaturalistaCosta Rica853 records
- Crooked Tree Wildlife SanctuaryBelize663 records
- Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary – Bird's Eye View LodgeBelize530 records
- El Paujil Proaves ReserveColombia518 records
- Raptor RidgeCosta Rica482 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The laughing falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in subfamily Herpetotherinae of family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found from Mexico south through Central America and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Laughing Falcon?
The Laughing Falcon weighs around 624 g.
Where does the Laughing Falcon live?
Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: Mexico to northern Argentina. It is most often recorded in Costa Rica, Belize and Colombia.
When is the best time to see the Laughing Falcon?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Laughing Falcon endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Laughing Falcon as Least Concern.
What does the Laughing Falcon eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Laughing Falcon in?
It belongs to the family Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae), order Falconiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 624 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 272 mm
- Tail
- 219 mm
- Bill
- 33 mm
- Tarsus
- 59 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Middle America, South America: Mexico to northern Argentina
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Falconiformes
- Family
- Caracaras, Falcons Falconidae
- Genus
- Herpetotheres
More from the family Caracaras, Falcons
Spot-winged FalconetSpiziapteryx circumcincta
Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
Red-throated CaracaraIbycter americanus
Black CaracaraDaptrius ater
Yellow-headed CaracaraDaptrius chimachima
Chimango CaracaraDaptrius chimango
Striated CaracaraDaptrius australis
Carunculated CaracaraDaptrius carunculatus
Mountain CaracaraDaptrius megalopterus
White-throated CaracaraDaptrius albogularis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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