Gyrfalcons
| Gyrfalcon or gerfalcon | |
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| Gyrfalcon | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Falconiformes |
| Family: | Falconidae |
| Genus: | Falco |
| Subgenus: | Hierofalco |
| Species: | F. rusticolus |
| Binomial name | |
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Falco rusticolus Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Synonyms | |
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List
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The gyrfalcon (/ˈdʒɜːrfɔːlkən/ or /ˈdʒɜːrfælkən/), also spelled gerfalcon, is a bird of prey (Falco rusticolus), the largest of the falcon species. The abbreviation gyr is also seen in the literature. It breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra, and the islands of northern North America, Europe, and Asia. It is mainly a resident there also, but some gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter. Individual vagrancy can take birds for long distances. Its plumage varies with location, with birds being coloured from all-white to dark brown. These colour variations are called morphs. Like other falcons, it shows sexual dimorphism, with the female much larger than the male. For centuries, the gyrfalcon has been valued as a hunting bird. Typical prey includes the ptarmigan and waterfowl, which it may take in flight. It has also been observed feeding on fish and mammals.
The gyrfalcon was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under its current binomial name Falco rusticolus. The genus name is the Late Latin term for a falcon, Falco, from falx, falcis, a sickle, referencing the claws of the bird. The species name is from the Latin rusticolus, a countryside-dweller, from rus, ruris, "country" and colere, "to dwell". The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon; in medieval Latin, it is gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier) for "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons; or from the Latin gȳrus for "circle" or "curved path" - from the species' circling as it searches for prey, distinct from the hunting of other falcons in its range. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.
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