Tuesday, April 8, 2014

The Gyrfalcon: The Bird of Royalty

This photograph of a Gyrfalcon, taken in Iceland by Ómar Runólfsson, is by far the most beautiful I have ever seen. The photo was taken on October 9, 2011.

The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is the royalty of raptors. It lives and hunts in the northern realms of our world on Arctic coasts and the islands of Europe, Asia, and North America. It is a remarkably beautiful and equally intimidating bird that is often used in the sport of falconry.

The Origin of the Gyrfalcon's Name

The first part of this raptor's name may come from the German word geier, or vulture, which would accurately describe both its intimidating size and its habit of circling its prey, though it is also believed to come from the Latin gyrus, for curved path. Its Latin scientific name is a combination of the word falco, for falcon, and rusticolus, meaning someone who lives in the country.

The Intimidating Size of the Gyrfalcon

Male Gyrfalcons, referred to as Gyrkins, average 24 inches long, weigh as much as 3 pounds, and have wingspans of 51 inches. Females are generally larger than the males, averaging 26 inches long, 4.6 pounds, and with a wingspan of 64 inches. Gyrfalcons have pointed, broad wings and longer tails than Peregrine Falcons. Plumage varies from white and silver to brown and black. White Gyrfalcons are the only predominantly white falcons. Juvenile Gyrfalcons are often darker than the adults, but the coloration of males and females does not differ according to gender. Gyrfalcons generally live to be 20 years old.

Breeding and Brooding

Gyrfalcons reach sexual maturity at three years old and mate for life. Gyrfalcons rarely build their own nests. Instead, they use a bare cliff edge, or cliff nests previously abandoned by their enemies--golden eagles and ravens. Gyrfalcons lay between one and five buff-colored eggs with brown markings. They incubate the eggs for up to 35 days. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, female Gyrfalcons have been known to catch more food than they need at the moment and will sometimes store their cache within 100 feet of their nests during breeding season. Gyrfalcon chicks leave the nest at 7 to 8 weeks and are independent of their parents within 3 to 4 months. Like many other birds, they often stay with their siblings their first winter or until they completely adjust to life on their own.

The Skillful Hunter

Gyrfalcons are large, regal birds and skillful hunters. They have a long history in their relationship with humans through the sport of falconry and their ownership was once reserved for kings. They are also expensive birds and carefully protected by their owners and breeders. According to Peregrine Fund.org, the primary diet of Gyrfalcons consists of ptarmigan and grouse, but they also eat a variety of sea and water birds, squirrels, and lemmings. They have very keen eyesight, which is helpful when hunting in arctic climes where the coloring of the wildlife often matches the surroundings. Gyrfalcons catch their prey both in the air and on the ground using a super-fast, low-flight chase. Just before the catch, they fly straight up then dive down upon their prey at extremely high speeds. The Gyrfalcon also has great stamina and will often exhaust its prey then pounce on it with tremendous power on impact, knocking its prey to the ground.

Threats to Survival

The Gyrfalcon's natural predator is the Golden Eagle, though the two rarely engage, they are simply well-matched in strength and skill. Ravens are threats to Gyrfalcons only because they like to eat Gyrfalcon eggs and hatchlings. As with most wildlife, the greatest threat to Gyrfalcons is humans through poisoning, accidents with automobiles and other machinery, hunting, and pollution created by pesticide use. Like many other large, wild birds, the Gyrfalcon was listed as "near threatened" by the IUCN until 1994 due to deaths caused by pesticides. Since that time, they have made a remarkable recovery in numbers, are no longer considered at risk, and once again roam comfortably as the kings of the sky.

Sources:

  • “Gyrfalcon.” Natural History Notebooks. Canadian Museum of Nature. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  • "Gyrfalcons." Peregrine Fund.org. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  • "Gyrfalcons.com." FalconsCanada.com. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  • "Gyrfalcon: Life History." All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved July 23, 2010.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm learning so much reading lots of different blogs on the atoz challenge. So nice to connect and follow http://aimingforapublishingdeal.blogspot.co.uk/

Darla Sue Dollman said...

That's why I love watching, studying and writing about animals--I love to learn! It's good to have you here, Charlotte! Thanks for stopping by!

Unknown said...

What a gorgeous creature. All your photography in these A to Z posts are fabulous. Especially liked the owl shots you took, but its all terrific. You must be a patient observer to have gotten these photos. And obviously from the accompanying articles, an excellent study as well. Thanks for sharing. Maria from Delight Directed Living

Darla Sue Dollman said...

This photo was taken by a master photographer who appears to travel the world photographing animals, from what I can tell by looking at his page. Sometimes, for me, it's a matter of being in the right place at the right time and yes, patience. I was a model as a teenager and I remember a photographer telling me on one exhausting afternoon that he takes hundreds of photos to get that one shot the customer will use in the advertisement, so I try to keep that in mind--times have changed and I'm not spending hours in the dark room, so I have time to sit in the light of the rising sun, wait and watch for that perfect shot. I try not to edit too much except for cropping, and I've had some amazing experiences holding very still, waiting for the bird to do something that I know will photograph well. It's such a beautiful world out there and having a camera so I can share that world with my grandchildren is, in my opinion, just one more blessing from God. Thanks for reading my blog! I love to share!

Unknown said...

Love the application of patience in your comment. Oh that we would all draw upon such lessons to have such a profound impact on our lives. I can see that it has definitely benefited you and thanks for sharing your wise thoughts.

Darla Sue Dollman said...

I learn patience from my grandchildren. When my grandson--who loves animals--was three he spent nearly an hour one day trying to convince his cat to eat a plastic bug. "Aww, come on, Samson. I've seen you eat bugs before. This one is green, and Momma says green is good for you! It's holding still so it won't run away! Just a little bite..." Now THAT is patience! Lol!