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Gyrfalcon Photo by Douglas Herr
Falco rusticolus

AKA: Greenland falcon, Asiatic gyrfalcon

SIZE: 19-25 inches

WINGSPAN: 43-54 inches

FLIGHT SPEED:

FEEDING HABITS: Eats mostly birds, with ptarmigans being the primary target. Will eat some small mammals.

IDENTIFICATION: The gyrfalcon has three color phases. In general they are slightly larger than the peregrine with slower wingbeats and will fly closer to the ground.
- The white phase, which is sometimes called silver phase, has white underwings with dark tips, and the white underbody can have some spotting, but not always. The back and upperwings are barred and spotted with dark markings. The juveniles of this phase have underparts that are completely streaked and bluish eyerings and ceres. The adult has a yellow cere.
- The gray phase grey upperparts with lighter colored baring. The underparts are pale with bars and spots. Feet and cere are bright yellow. From below, the gray and dark phase gyrfalcons will show darker wing linings than flight feathers. Cere is slate blue on juvenile. Juvenile also shows more streaking on the underparts, instead of spots, and will show a faint mustache mark.
- The dark phase has similar markings to the gray but with dark slate gray or brown upperparts. Intergrades exist between gray and dark phases.

		10 photos by Robert Ganz