Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus [Linnaeus, 1758] |
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For details point at or click the |
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Order:
Accipitriformes
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Family: Falconidae |
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BTO Codes:
YF, GYRFA
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EURING No: 3180 | |
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Number in Britain:
3 records/year
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Conservation Status:
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Status in UK:
(A) Accidental
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Subspecies:
Monotypic
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Length:
55 cm
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Wingspan: 145 cm |
Weight:
M: 1.1 kg F: 1.8 kg
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Scientific name from:
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L.: falco=falcom (from falcis=sickle, ref hooked talons) and L.: rusticus=rural +colere=to dwell |
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World Distribution:
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BREEDS: Greenland to n Siberia, n N Canada, WINTERS south to n Europe, c Asia & n US |
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Habitat:
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Tundra, open taiga, seacoast |
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Diet:
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Medium-sized birds, also some mammals, usually in low flight over ground |
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Records and Distribution |
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First Record:
Shropshire, c. 1770
(Palmer. P 2000. First for Britain & Ireland, Arlequin Press. [502.74 PAL])
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Total Number of Records (1950-2007):
146
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Summary of Records by Year |
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Most Likely to Occur in:
September to May
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Most Recent County Records:
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Scotland:
Argyll
(2002),
Angus & Dundee
(1922),
Ayrshire
(1978),
Borders
(1981),
Clyde
(1960),
Dumfries & Galloway
(1978),
Fife
(1979),
Upper Forth
(1955),
Highland
(1996),
Lothian
(1981),
Moray & Nairn
(1977),
Northeast
(1995),
Outer Hebrides
(2007),
Orkney
(2006),
Perth & Kinross
(1960),
Shetland
(2006),
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North-east England:
Cleveland
(1837),
Durham
(2006),
Northumberland
(1845),
East Yorkshire
(1983),
North Yorkshire
(1903),
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North-west England:
Cheshire
(1982),
Cumbria
(1983),
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English Midlands:
Shropshire
(1869),
Staffordshire
(1865),
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Eastern England:
Cambridgeshire
(1940),
Lincolnshire
(1900),
Norfolk
(1954),
Suffolk
(1867),
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South-east England:
Berkshire
(1971),
Kent
(1979),
Greater London
(1972),
Oxfordshire
(1847),
Surrey
(1972),
East Sussex
(1882),
West Sussex
(1972),
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South-west England:
Cornwall
(2007),
Devon
(1998),
Dorset
(1882),
Gloucestershire
(1964),
Somerset
(1926),
Wiltshire
(1906),
Isles of Scilly
(2002),
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Wales:
Anglesey
(2002),
Breconshire
(1963),
Carmarthen
(1913),
Denbighshire
(1876),
Flintshire
(1982),
Pembrokeshire
(1921),
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Information provided by BirdGuides and BBRC |
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Other Names |
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| Gyr Falcon | |
| Gaelic: Geàrr-sheabhag | Welsh: Hebog y Gogledd |
| Danish: Jagtfalk | Dutch: Giervalk |
| Finnish: Tunturihaukka | French: Faucon gerfaut |
| German: Gerfalke | Hungarian: Sarki sólyom |
| Icelandic: Fálki | Irish: Fabhcún Mór |
| Italian: Girfalco d’Islanda | Norwegian: Jaktfalk |
| Polish: Bialozór | Portuguese: Falcão-gerifalte |
| Spanish: Halcón gerifalte | Swedish: Jaktfalk |
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For More Information... |
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Books and Monographs:
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| Cade, T. et al. 1998 BWP Update 2:1-25 | |
| Sale, R. & Potapov, E. 2004 The Gyrfalcon Poyser, London [598.53 POT] | |
| See Also: | |
Find scientific papers on  Google Scholar
or  Scirus by clicking the icon
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| Wikipedia entry | |
| BirdLife species page | |
| Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides | |
| All About Birds (from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) | |
| Details from the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter | |
| Read the European Species Action Plan | |
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