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GrasslandScrapeLarge · 1.4 kg
ID tip
The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world, being about the same size as the largest buteos but probably slightly heavier. Males are 48 to 61 centimetres (19 to 24 inches) long, weigh 805 to 1,350 grams (1 pound 12+1⁄2 ounces to 2 pounds 15+1⁄2 ounces), with average weights reported as 1,130 or 1,170 g (2 lb 8 oz or 2 lb 9+1⁄2 oz) and have a wingspan from 110 to 130 cm (43 to 51 in).
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Gyrfalcon
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 8 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Gyrfalcon
The map shades 5 countries with regular records, and 11 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, St. Pierre & Miquelon, Ukraine.
About the Gyrfalcon
The gyrfalcon, also abbreviated as gyr, is a bird of prey and the largest species in the falcon family, Falconidae. A high-latitude species, the gyrfalcon breeds on the Arctic coasts and tundra, the islands of northern North America and Siberia, where it is mainly a resident species. Some gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season or in winter, and individual vagrancy can take birds for long distances. Its plumage varies with location, with birds being coloured from all-white to dark grey-brown. These colour variations are called morphs. Like other falcons, it shows sexual dimorphism, with the female much larger than the male.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Black FalconFalco subnigerThe information in this section is based on recent descriptions by several authors (notably, Debus & Davies 2012, Debus & Olsen 2011, Morcombe 2002 and Birds in Backyards n.d.).
Red-necked FalconFalco chicqueraThe red-necked falcon is a medium-sized, long-winged species with a bright rufous crown and nape.
Grey KestrelFalco ardosiaceusIt is a fairly small, stocky kestrel with a large, flat-topped head and fairly short wings that don't reach past the tip of the tail when at rest.
Side by side: Gyrfalcon vs Red-necked Falcon · Black Falcon vs Gyrfalcon · Grey Kestrel vs Gyrfalcon · Gyrfalcon vs Pygmy Falcon
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