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| MEASUREMENTS: The Gyrfalcon has a body length of 20 - 25 inches, a wingspan of 4 - 4 1/2 feet, and weighs 2 - 4 1/2 pounds. |
 HABITAT: This bird is circumpolar, and nests in the arctic regions of North America, Europe, Asia, Greenland, and Iceland. Gyrfalcons live in both tundra (treeless heath plains) and taiga habitats (swampy coniferous areas) with bluffs and cliffs along shorelines, rivers, or mountains. In response to a lack of prey, some birds move as far south as northern Oklahoma in the winter. |
| DIET:
Gyrfalcons eat
mainly ptarmigan and
grouse, but also
hunt seabirds,
waterfowl, ground
squirrels, and
lemmings. Gyrfalcons
often hunt using a
fast, low flight to
chase their
prey. Just before
catching the prey,
these falcons
typically fly up and
then dive straight
down onto their
prey. Prey can be
taken in the air or
on the ground. |
| REPRODUCTION: Typically, nests of Gyrfalcons are in a depression on a protected ledge on a cliff face. Sometimes they will use an abandoned stick nest of another bird or even man-made structures. Gyrfalcons lay 3 - 5 eggs that are incubated about 34 - 36 days. Young falcons leave the nest 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 weeks after hatching. These falcons become sexually mature at 2 - 3 years old. |
| NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Latin words falco, which means hook- shaped (falcate) and may refer to the beak or claws; rusticus, meaning a countryman; and incloa, indicating an inhabitant. The species name refers to an inhabitant of the countryside, and alludes to this falcon’s preferred habitat of open fields and tundra. The common name may mean “a greedy falcon,” coming from the Old High German words giri, meaning greedy and valke, which indicates a falcon. |
INTERESTING FACTS:
- The Gyrfalcon is the largest true falcon in the world. Gyrfalcons have a variety of plumage colors that range from white to almost black.
- Gyrfalcons have been highly regarded by falconers throughout falconry’s history. In the Middle Ages, only a king could hunt with a Gyrfalcon. In falconry, the male Gyrfalcon is called a jerkin.
- Gyrfalcons that nest in the arctic regions frequently begin breeding and laying eggs when the temperature is still below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
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