Is a gyrfalcon rare?
They are rare winter visitors to open habitats in the northern United States.
How big is a female gyrfalcon?
SIZE/WEIGHT 48 – 65 cm long, weigh 805 – 2100 g and have a wingspan from 110 to 160 cm. Females are bulkier and larger than males.
How long does a gyrfalcon live?
Gyrfalcons that survive into adulthood can live up to 20 years of age. As F. rusticolus has such a wide range, it is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN.
How is gyrfalcon pronounced?
Gyrfalcon looks like it should be pronounced “gire”-falcon, starting with a hard G and rhyming with the word tire.
Is gyrfalcon endangered?
Least Concern (Population stable)
Gyrfalcon/Conservation status
Where do Gyrfalcons nest?
Nest Placement Gyrfalcons nest on cliffs or in conifer tree nests of other species, such as Common Ravens and Golden Eagles. They may nest directly on cliff ledges, often protected by overhangs oriented away from the wind.
What does a Gyrfalcon look like?
Although the classic image of a Gyrfalcon is a regal white bird with black spotting, the birds occur in shades of white, gray, and dark brown. In North America, gray birds are more numerous than the other two morphs. Adults are heavily barred on the back, wings, and tail, with spotted underparts.
Are Gyrfalcons endangered?
Do Gyrfalcons mate for life?
SOCIAL STRUCTURE: Gyrfalcons are solitary except during the breeding season when the pair and their young are together until mid-September. They mate for life.
What does the word gyrfalcon mean?
arctic falcon
Definition of gyrfalcon : an arctic falcon (Falco rusticolus) that occurs in several color forms and is the largest of all falcons.
Where are Gyrfalcons found?
The Gyrfalcon thrives in some of the harshest climates on Earth. This denizen of the mountains and high arctic tundra is a circumpolar species, found throughout the region of the North Pole. It nests in the arctic and subarctic regions of North America, Europe, Asia, Greenland, and Iceland.
What human activities are impacting the Gyrfalcons?
Increases in shipping (corbett et al. 2010), oil and gas exploration (Fissel et al. 2009) and fishing (stram and Evans 2009) will introduce new human activities into Gyrfalcon habitats, increase the potential for oil spills (Macdonald et al. 2003), and increase exposure to environmental contaminants (Letcher et al.