The Gyrfalcon

Gyrfalcon

The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) occur in mountainous regions and on the tundra around the entire northern hemisphere. It occurs in Canada, USA, Mexico, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Greece, Russia and China. Western European and American populations are strongly linked to water. Hunting Falcon is a none-migratory bird. The gyrfalcon moves spontaneously over long distances.
The gyrfalcon prefers abandoned nests from other raptors (including eagles) or crows.
The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse and avian marine species on coastal habitats. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders, and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes thrice the weight of the assaulting falcon), and often includes lemmings, voles, ground squirrels, and hares.