Habitat: The Laughing falcon can be found in forest, woodland borders and adjacent clearings with dispersed trees. Distribution: This species has been reported from Mexico to Bolivia, northern Argentina and southern Brazil. Natural History Notes: The Laughing falcon is the only member of the genus Herpetotheres and it was given this common name due to the sound of its call. This call that is most often heard during the late afternoon is fairly loud and may sounds like this: gua-co, gua-co... However, a less frequent call can be heard, which sounds like a demoniac laugh, and may sounds like this: hah-hah-hah. Conservation status according to IUCN 2008 Red list: Least Concern (LC). It is a resident species. Characteristics: The total length of this species varies between 18 inches and 22 inches (measured from tip of bill to end of tail). The head looks fairly large while the wings are fairly short and rounded shaped as well as the long tail. Then regarding the plumage coloration, the head, neck and underparts are cream-white to buffy with a prominent large black mask through the eyes. We can also distinguish a crown with fine black stripes. The upperparts are dark brown and the tail is black and shows multiple creamy-white bands.
