Family: Falconidae, Falcons view all from this family
Description 22" (56 cm). W. 4' (1.2 m). The largest of the true falcons. 3 color phases occur: blackish, white, and gray-brown. All phases are more uniformly colored than Peregrine Falcon, which has bold dark "mustaches" and hood and a proportionately larger head.
Habitat Arctic tundra and rocky cliffs, usually near water. Each winter a few move south to coastal beaches and marshes.
Nesting Usually 4 whitish or buff eggs, finely spotted with reddish brown, on a rock ledge or in the abandoned nest of a Rough-legged Hawk or Common Raven.
Range Breeds on tundra of northern Alaska and northern Canada. Winters in breeding range and also rarely but regularly south to northern tier of states, especially along coasts.
Voice A chattering scream, kak-kak-kak-kak.
Discussion It is a memorable occasion when a Gyrfalcon is sighted on a coastal salt marsh or over open country inland. In the Far North it feeds mainly on ptarmigans, but during the summer months it also takes shorebirds, eiders, and gulls, and makes frequent raids on the great colonies of murres and Dovekies.
