Behavior

Laughing Falcons hunt from exposed perches, with good visibility (Haverschmidt 1962). Prey capture can be direct, with the falcon dropping down and "pouncing" on the prey (Haverschmidt 1962), or the falcon may approach on the ground, with spread wings, which may serve as a distraction to the snake (Parker et al. 2012).

The flight of Laughing Falcon is slow, with rigid and rapid wing beats, followed by a short glide. Does not soar.

Bruce (2007) observed a Laughing Falcon ingesting small calcite stones; the frequency and purpose of stone ingestion is not yet known.

Folklore claims that this bird is capable of predicting rain (Sheffler and van Rossem 1944).

Home range sizes for Laughing Falcons can be large, especially for a raptor of this size. At one site in northern Guatemala, the home range of a breeding male Laughing Falcon encompasses 25.3 km², and the female of this pair foraged over 14.6 km² (Parker et al. 2012). Other pairs at this site seemed to occupy much smaller areas (ca 6.5-6.7 km²), but the overall density of pairs at this site was ca 1 pair/21-22 km² (Parker et al. 2012).

Dueting is a major component of nesting pairs. Fully developed duets will often turn into syncopation, which is very important when forming pair bonds. These duets can range anywhere from three to ten minutes. The pair may continue vocalizing after the duet finishes (Miller et al 2008).

Laughing Falcons usually are solitary.

Specht et al. (2008) observed a pair of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) "attacking" Laughing Falcons when the falcons flew near the kestrels' nest.

Spider monkeys, snakes, and tayras have been known to eat their eggs and chicks (Skutch 1960, Tennesen 1992).