The hierofalcon lineage as such seems of Late Pliocene origin, maybe as old as the "typical" kestrels (Gelasian, some 2.5–2 million years ago), maybe somewhat older, though little is known about their fossil history. It seems to have originated in Africa or adjacent regions but apparently became nearly extinct in the past: the present hierofalcon diversity is of rather recent origin, presumably not older than the Eemian interglacial (about 130,000–115,000 years ago) at the start of the Late Pleistocene; only one of the hierofalcon species that presumably diverged between the Pliocene and the Middle Pleistocene has left any living descendants. The lanner falcon appears to be the most phylogenetically ancient species (mainly judging from biogeography); the others diverged—apparently out of a population isolated in northeastern Africa some time during the Riss glaciation 200,000 to 130,000 years ago—in a brief and rapid bout of evolution. DNA sequence data analyses in this group suffers from the extensive hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting confounding the data, and studies with small sample sizes can by no means be considered reliable. Sometimes, all hierofalcons are lumped into one species, Falco hierofalco.