CreatureData

White-fronted falconet

Microhierax latifrons Sharpe, 1879

NTNear Threatenedbirds of prey

The white-fronted falconet (Microhierax latifrons) is a species in the family Falconidae, order Falconiformes. Recorded adults weigh 41.2 g to 50 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

White-fronted falconet (Microhierax latifrons)
Photo: John Gerrard Keulemans · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the white-fronted falconet

Weight
41.2 g – 50 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
28 cm – 31 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the white-fronted falconet?

WHITE-FRONTED FALCONET · WINGSPAN 31 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 31 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the white-fronted falconet is about 18% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the white-fronted falconet live?

Not recorded

What is the white-fronted falconet?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The white-fronted falconet (Microhierax latifrons), also called the Bornean falconet, is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. Described by the British ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1879, it is endemic to Borneo, where it is found in Sarawak, Sabah, and extreme northeastern Kalimantan. An extremely small falcon, it is only 14–17 cm (5.5–6.7 in) long and weighs 35–65 g (1.2–2.3 oz), being the smallest species of falconet. It has glossy bluish-black upperparts, black flanks and outer thighs, and a black mask. The belly and vent are pale yellowish-brown, while the throat, cheeks, and breast are white. The species can be told apart from other falconets by the colour of its crown and forehead, which is white in males and reddish-brown in females. It has no subspecies.

The species inhabits open forests, forest edges, clearings with dead trees, and cultivated regions with interspersed trees, and rarely in mangrove forests. It mainly eats insects, although it has also been reported hunting birds. The breeding season lasts from March to either June or April, with clutches of two eggs being laid in old barbet or woodpecker nest holes. It is classified as being near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is also listed on Appendix II of CITES. Threats to the species include deforestation, forest fires, and the cage-bird trade.

From the Wikipedia article “White-fronted falconet” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-fronted_falconet&oldid=1354649280), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the white-fronted falconet endangered?

The white-fronted falconet is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species. What the categories mean.

How is the white-fronted falconet classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderFalconiformes
  5. familyFalconidae
  6. genusMicrohierax
  7. SpeciesMicrohierax latifrons Sharpe, 1879
Other names and names in other languages (36)
  • Bornean falconetEnglish
  • Bornean falconetEnglish
  • صقر بورنيوArabic
  • صقر أبيض الجبهةArabic
  • falconet frontblancCatalan
  • sokolík bornejskýCzech
  • corhebog BorneoWelsh
  • BorneopygmæfalkDanish
  • WeißscheitelfälkchenGerman
  • blankfrunta falketoEsperanto
  • Falconete de BorneoSpanish
  • Halconcito de BorneoSpanish
  • tanu-värbpistrikEstonian
  • borneonhaukkanenFinnish
  • Fauconnet de BornéoFrench
  • borneanski sokolićCroatian
  • borneói verébsólyomHungarian
  • Alap-alap dahi-putihIndonesian
  • Falchetto frontebiancaItalian
  • ボルネオヒメハヤブサJapanese
  • baltakaktis nykštukinis sakalasLithuanian
  • Burung Falko Dahi PutihMalay
  • BorneodwergvalkDutch
  • hvitpannefalkonettNorwegian
  • sokolik białoczelnyPolish
  • falconete-de-testa-brancaPortuguese
  • falconete-de-fronte-brancaPortuguese
  • Белолобый сокол-крошкаRussian
  • sokolík bieločelýSlovak
  • Beločeli patuljasti sokoSerbian
  • vitpannad pygméfalkSwedish
  • Ak Alınlı Cüce DoğanTurkish
  • сокіл-карлик білолобийUkrainian
  • 白額隼Chinese
  • 白額小隼Chinese
  • 白额小隼Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the white-fronted falconet

Other species in the same genus Microhierax.

CompareWhite-fronted falconet vs Collared falconetWhite-fronted falconet vs Pied falconetWhite-fronted falconet vs Black-thighed falconetWhite-fronted falconet vs Philippine falconet

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the white-fronted falconet?

An adult white-fronted falconet weighs 41.2 g – 50 g and has a wingspan of 28 cm – 31 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the white-fronted falconet endangered?

The white-fronted falconet is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

What kind of animal is the white-fronted falconet?

The white-fronted falconet (Microhierax latifrons) belongs to the family Falconidae in the order Falconiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). White-fronted falconet (Microhierax latifrons). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-fronted-falconet

MLA

“White-fronted falconet (Microhierax latifrons).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-fronted-falconet.

BibTeX
@misc{white_fronted_falconet_2026,
  title = {White-fronted falconet (Microhierax latifrons)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-fronted-falconet},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}