- Life expectancy
- Global status
Identification
The largest falcon looks powerful and long-tailed. The broad wings taper into pointed hands. White, grey and dark birds belong to the same species; colour alone reveals neither age nor sex.
Colours
Adult · Grey
Grey upperparts with bars, pale underparts with dark spots. Cere and feet are yellow.
White, grey and dark describe sections of a continuous colour spectrum. Males and females have the same plumage colours.
Behaviour
Gyrfalcons usually live alone or in pairs and defend their breeding area vigorously. In courtship the male performs dives and rolls. In winter, birds from high Arctic latitudes may appear further south.
Breeding & rearing
Sheltered rock ledges or old nests of other large birds serve as nest sites. The Gyrfalcon does not build its own stick nest. Instead a shallow scrape is prepared; the young grow up there over several weeks.
