Winter: The Season for Gyrfalcons

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Winter sends wondrous birds down from the Arctic. Unrivalled among these visitors is the majestic Gyrfalcon. Gyrfalcons are among the largest falcons in the world, with the female—the larger of the sexes—outranking even a Red-tailed Hawk in size.

With a name that derives from an Old Norse word for "spear," the Gyrfalcon was a medieval falconer's prize, reserved for royalty. It is said that Kublai Khan kept two hundred.

When hunting, the Gyrfalcon flies swiftly, and low, over the ground, hugging the contours to conceal its attack. It's capable of overtaking even the fastest waterfowl, some of which can fly 60 miles an hour.

On its summer range on the tundra, the falcon feeds mostly on ptarmigan. But in winter, it is opportunistic, chasing down shorebirds, ducks, partridges, and even small rodents. By December, a small number of Gyrfalcons have flown south to the northern states, where they will spend the winter in areas of open expanse, such as farmlands or coastal areas. Perhaps the prince of falcons awaits you out there.

The bird calls you hear on BirdNote come from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. To hear this show again, visit our website, BirdNote.org.

Call of the Gyrfalcon and Greater Scaup provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Call of Gyrfalcon recorded by A.L. Priori. Call of Greater Scaup in flight recorded by W.W.H. Gunn.

Written by Bob Sundstrom

Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org      December 2014      Narrator: Mary McCann