Gyrfalcon

gyrfalcon, (Falco rusticolus), Arctic bird of prey of the family Falconidae that is the world’s largest falcon. Confined as a breeder to the circumpolar region except for isolated populations in Central Asian highlands, it is sometimes seen at lower latitudes in winters when food is scarce. The gyrfalcon varies from pure white with black speckling to dark gray with barring. The legs are fully feathered. The gyrfalcon may reach 60 cm (2 feet) in length, and females, which average 1,400–2,100 grams (3.1–4.6 pounds), weigh nearly twice as much as males.

The species prefers cliff faces for nesting sites; however, they occasionally use nests abandoned by ravens (Corvus corax) in trees. Near the end of April, female gyrfalcons lay a clutch of up to five eggs, which are incubated by both parents. All eggs hatch approximately 35 days after they are laid, and young falcons leave the nest to hunt and forage on their own some six to eight weeks later. Both sexes reach sexual maturity between ages two and three.

Although the gyrfalcon hunts near the ground for hares, rodents, and birds of numerous species of the tundra and seacoast, it prefers ptarmigan (Lagopus), Arctic hares (Lepus arcticus), and Arctic ground squirrels. Its only rival is the higher-flying peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). In traditional falconry, the gyrfalcon was the bird of kings, who during the Middle Ages would hunt the bird for food and trained the bird as a hunting companion. The gyrfalcon is now the official mascot of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Since 2004 the gyrfalcon has been listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species because of its high numbers (approximately 50,000 individuals) and its extremely large geographic range. Inuit occasionally hunt gyrfalcon for food and feathers, which are used in clothing and in religious rituals. Ecologists and wildlife officials note that some birds are illegally captured and sold on the black market to falconers.