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Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Records Books & Links
Order: Accipitriformes Family: Falconidae
BTO Codes: YF, GYRFA EURING No: 3180
Number in Britain: 3 records/year
Conservation Status:
UK: Not Assessed
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Rare
Global: Least Concern
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  

Status in UK: (A)  Accidental
Subspecies: Monotypic
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Length: 55 cm Wingspan: 145 cm Weight: M: 1.1 kg   F: 1.8 kg    
Scientific name from: L.: falco=falcom (from falcis=sickle, ref hooked talons) and L.: rusticus=rural +colere=to dwell
World Distribution: BREEDS: Greenland to n Siberia, n N Canada, WINTERS south to n Europe, c Asia & n US
Habitat: Tundra, open taiga, seacoast
Diet: Medium-sized birds, also some mammals, usually in low flight over ground
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Records and Distribution
First Record: 8th Century
Total Number of Records (1950-2007): 146 Summary of Records by Year
Most Likely to Occur in: September to May
Most Recent County Records:
   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),
   North-east England: Cleveland (1837), Durham (2006), Northumberland (1845), East Yorkshire (1983), North Yorkshire (1903),
   North-west England: Cheshire (1982), Cumbria (1983),
   English Midlands: Shropshire (1869), Staffordshire (1865),
   Eastern England: Cambridgeshire (1940), Lincolnshire (1900), Norfolk (1954), Suffolk (1867),
   South-east England: Berkshire (1971), Kent (1979), Greater London (1972), Oxfordshire (1847), Surrey (1972), East Sussex (1882), West Sussex (1972),
   South-west England: Cornwall (2007), Devon (1998), Dorset (1882), Gloucestershire (1964), Somerset (1926), Wiltshire (1906), Isles of Scilly (2002),
   Wales: Anglesey (2002), Breconshire (1963), Carmarthen (1913), Denbighshire (1876), Flintshire (1982), Pembrokeshire (1921),

Information provided by BirdGuides and BBRC
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Other Names
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...
Books and Monographs:
   Cade, T. et al. 1998 BWP Update 2:1-25
   Sale, R. & Potapov, E. 2004 The Gyrfalcon Poyser, London [598.53 POT]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Wikipedia entry
European Species Action Plan
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Find papers on Google Scholar
Find papers on Scirus

BTO blue divider
BirdWeb logo, click to go to BirdWeb BirdFacts home | BTO Home
Email: birdfacts@bto.org

These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.24, June 2009). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

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