Animal
Gyrfalcon
The gyrfalcon is the biggest falcon in the world. It lives in the cold Arctic. It catches birds called ptarmigans.
The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world, a powerful hunter of the Arctic tundra. Its feathers can be nearly pure white, gray or almost black. It mostly hunts ptarmigans, often flying fast and low to surprise them or chasing them over long distances. Gyrfalcons nest on cliffs all around the top of the world and are listed as Least Concern.
Falco rusticolus is a circumpolar falcon of Arctic tundra and open mountains that feeds mostly on ptarmigan. It is listed as Least Concern (BirdLife International for the IUCN; assessed 2021, published 2021), with a stable trend; because estimates disagree, its population is placed in a band of about 12,600 to 55,300 mature individuals. Climate change is among its threats.
Photo: George Lalla, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the gyrfalcon
The gyrfalcon is a big, strong falcon.
Some are white. Some are gray. Some are almost black.
The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world. It is 50 to 65 centimeters long, its wings stretch 110 to 130 centimeters, and it weighs 800 to 2,100 grams. Females are much bigger than males.
Gyrfalcons come in different colors, from almost all white to gray to nearly black. Most are gray, with a dark gray head, back and wings and a pale chest marked with gray spots. Young birds have dark streaks underneath instead of spots.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game calls the gyrfalcon the largest falcon species in the world: 50 to 65 centimeters long, with a wingspan of 110 to 130 centimeters. Males weigh about 800 to 1,350 grams and females about 1,200 to 2,100 grams, a strong size difference between the sexes; females can take larger prey (HawkWatch International).
Plumage ranges from almost white to nearly black. Birds are sorted into white, gray and dark morphs, but there is a complete range between them, and the gray morph is by far the most common. Juveniles are streaked below and have bluish ceres, eye-rings and feet, which turn yellow after one to several years. Compared with peregrine and prairie falcons, gyrfalcons have slightly broader wings with more bluntly pointed tips, and when perched their wingtips fall short of the tail tip (HawkWatch International).
Quick facts
- Group
- Bird
- Length
- 0.5 to 0.65 m
- Wingspan
- 1.1 to 1.3 m
- Weight
- 0.8 to 2.1 kg
Top of the world
Gyrfalcons live in the far north.
They live on cold, open land with rocks and cliffs.
Gyrfalcons live around the top of the world: in Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, and across northern Russia, with some in China and Japan. They nest where open tundra meets mountains or cliffs, often on cliffs along coasts and rivers, and in some places at the edge of northern forests.
Most gyrfalcons stay in the far north all year. In winter some, especially young birds, move south to coasts and open country. Only a few reach southern Canada and the northern United States.
The IUCN assessment lists the species as native and extant in Canada, China, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States, from sea level to 1,500 meters, and as a vagrant in 22 more countries and territories, most of them in Europe. (The list also gives France and, with uncertain seasonality, Mexico; neither appears on this map.)
It breeds across the circumpolar north wherever open tundra is broken by mountains or cliffs with nesting ledges (Alaska Department of Fish and Game), in tundra and taiga, often near bluffs and cliffs along shorelines and rivers, and in barren uplands above the tree line (The Peregrine Fund). Birds of the high Arctic migrate, while those farther south are only partly migratory. Some have been documented as far south as northern Oklahoma in winter, and some spend much of the winter far out at sea, most likely feeding on seabirds and resting on icebergs or sea ice (The Peregrine Fund).
Continents
Where can you find this animal?
- Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Arctic tundra, cliffs, coasts and open mountains around the North Pole, from sea level to about 1,500 meters; in the United States it nests in Alaska, with a few winter visitors farther south. It lives in only part of each country shown.
Places: Canada, China, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Russia and 2 more places.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked October 2026
Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Counts of GBIF records of wild observations (human and machine) and preserved specimens. Records include introduced populations, vagrants, escaped or released animals and misidentifications, so a country with records is not necessarily part of the native range.
Wild sightings have been recorded in Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, United States, Greenland, Finland, Iceland and 18 more places.
Source: gbif · checked October 2026
Range maps show where scientists say an animal lives, often country by country. An animal may live in only part of a country shown, and sightings records can include animals that wandered far from home.
A ptarmigan hunter
Gyrfalcons eat other birds.
Their main food is a bird called the ptarmigan. They also catch hares.
Gyrfalcons hunt mostly ptarmigans, a kind of grouse that lives on the tundra. Gyrfalcons living on coasts take more gulls, ducks and geese. They also catch shorebirds, seabirds and smaller birds of prey, and mammals such as hares, ground squirrels and lemmings.
While raising chicks, a gyrfalcon that catches a big animal, such as an Arctic hare, may store part of it and come back to eat later. In winter, some gyrfalcons hunt pigeons in cities.
Ptarmigan are the mainstay of the diet on the Arctic tundra (Audubon), and by weight most prey is ptarmigan, Arctic ground squirrels and Arctic hares (Animal Diversity Web). Coastal birds take more gulls, ducks and geese. Other prey includes large shorebirds, jaegers, smaller raptors, seabirds and waterfowl, plus lemmings, voles and marmots (Alaska Department of Fish and Game; The Peregrine Fund), and wintering birds in the western United States have been seen taking birds as large as greater sage-grouse (Audubon).
During nesting, gyrfalcons cache large prey such as Arctic hares between feedings, and in winter some take many rock pigeons in big cities (Animal Diversity Web).
Did you know?
Gyrfalcons can lay eggs when it is still freezing outside.
Gyrfalcons that nest in the Arctic often start laying eggs while it is still below freezing.
Arctic-nesting gyrfalcons frequently begin laying while temperatures are still below freezing (The Peregrine Fund).
Fast and powerful
Gyrfalcons are strong, fast fliers.
They fly low over the ground to surprise birds.
A gyrfalcon looks for prey from a high rock or while flying. Often it flies fast and low over the ground to surprise birds and make them fly up. Then it can speed up in an instant and chase down even fast-flying ducks. It may also chase a bird a long way until it tires, or dive on it from high up.
A gyrfalcon often hits a bird with its feet and knocks it to the ground, then pounces on it.
Gyrfalcons hunt mainly in open country. HawkWatch International describes 'surprise and flush' hunting: the falcon cruises low over the terrain to scare up birds, then accelerates to chase them down; it also stoops from high altitude, sometimes in pairs on the breeding grounds. Prey may also be pursued over long distances until it tires (Audubon; Animal Diversity Web).
Unlike the peregrine, which uses gravity to gain speed, the gyrfalcon relies on raw power, usually in a tail chase; prey is often knocked to the ground with a blow from the talons and then pounced on (Animal Diversity Web). Prey can be taken in the air, on the ground or occasionally from water (The Peregrine Fund). The Alaska Department of Fish and Game notes that gyrfalcons stoop to capture prey but can outfly most quarry in direct, powered pursuit.
Chicks on a cliff
Gyrfalcons nest on high cliffs.
The mother lays a few eggs. The chicks are fluffy.
Gyrfalcons do not build their own nests. They lay their eggs in a scraped hollow on a cliff ledge, often under an overhang, or in an old stick nest made by ravens or golden eagles. Many come back to the same nest site year after year.
A female lays 1 to 5 eggs, usually 3 or 4, often while it is still below freezing outside. The eggs hatch after about 35 days, and the chicks are covered in thick down. The young first fly when they are about 45 to 50 days old.
Gyrfalcons build no nest. Eggs are laid in a natural or scraped hollow on a cliff ledge, often a shelf with an overhang, or in old stick nests of common ravens, golden eagles or rough-legged hawks, sometimes in trees; sites are reused year after year and collect piles of prey remains (Animal Diversity Web; Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Audubon).
Clutches are 1 to 5 eggs, typically 3 or 4, white or creamy and spotted with reddish brown; incubation, mostly by the female, lasts about 35 days. For the first 1 to 3 weeks the female broods the downy chicks while the male does most of the hunting; after 2 to 3 weeks she hunts too. Young first fly at about 45 to 50 days (Audubon). The Alaska Department of Fish and Game describes short first flights at about five weeks, followed by eight weeks or more of practice while the young still depend almost entirely on their parents for food. The IUCN uses a generation length of 7.73 years.
Alone and in pairs
Gyrfalcons mostly live alone.
Moms and dads guard their chicks together.
Outside the nesting season, a gyrfalcon usually hunts and rests alone. Pairs may arrive at their nesting cliffs as early as late winter. The male brings food to the female, and the pair bows and scrapes at the nest site.
Both parents guard the nest. When a raven comes close, they fly after it, calling loudly and diving low to scare it away. Gyrfalcons do not always keep the same mate, but they often return to the same nest site year after year.
Outside the breeding season gyrfalcons hunt, forage and roost alone. Males begin defending nesting territories in midwinter, around the end of January, and females arrive at nest sites around the beginning of March; pair bonding lasts about six weeks before eggs are laid (Animal Diversity Web). Members of a pair display at the nest site with bowing and scraping, and the male brings food to the female (Audubon).
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game notes that adults do not necessarily form long-term attachments to individual mates, but frequently return to the same nest sites year after year. Parents defend the young vigorously, chasing ravens and other intruders with loud calls and low stoops (The Peregrine Fund). After independence, siblings may travel together in loose associations for several months. Gyrfalcons are usually quiet, but give an agitated 'kak-kak-kak-kak' call (HawkWatch International).
Did you know?
Gyrfalcons sometimes save food for later.
While raising chicks, gyrfalcons sometimes store part of a big meal, such as an Arctic hare, and eat it later.
During nesting, gyrfalcons cache large prey such as Arctic hares between feedings (Animal Diversity Web).
Falcons of a warming Arctic
Gyrfalcons live far from people.
But the Arctic is getting warmer, and that can change their home.
The gyrfalcon is listed as Least Concern, and its numbers seem stable. Scientists do not agree on how many there are, so the Red List puts the number somewhere between about 12,600 and 55,300 grown-up birds.
In some places people take eggs and chicks for falconry, trap or shoot gyrfalcons, or disturb their nests. In North America most nest sites are far from people. The Arctic is warming almost twice as fast as the world as a whole, and scientists are studying how that affects gyrfalcons.
BirdLife International assessed Falco rusticolus as Least Concern for the IUCN Red List (assessed 10 August 2021, published 2021), with a stable population trend. Estimates disagree: Partners in Flight (2020) gives about 83,000 mature individuals globally, while Franke et al. (2019) estimate 6,301 to 10,278 breeding pairs (12,602 to 20,556 mature birds); the assessment places the population in the band 12,600 to 55,300.
The IUCN lists threats including collection of eggs and young for falconry, trapping (some 1,000 to 2,000 birds a year are thought to be killed by trappers in Siberia), illegal shooting in Norway and Sweden, intensive grouse hunting in parts of Fennoscandia that may affect numbers, nest disturbance by tourism, and climate change. In Russia, oil development can disturb nests and its roads make nests easier for trappers to reach, though abandoned rigs offer new nest sites. The Peregrine Fund notes that warming has likely let peregrine falcons breed farther north, which could lead to competition for nest sites.
IUCN Red List
How is the gyrfalcon doing in the wild?
- Least Concern (this animal)
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable
- Endangered
- Critically Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- Extinct
Least Concern
Not at risk of disappearing from the wild right now.
See the IUCN Red List assessment · The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3
Amazing facts
-
The gyrfalcon is the biggest falcon in the world.
The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world, with wings 110 to 130 centimeters across.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Audubon and The Peregrine Fund all call the gyrfalcon the world's largest falcon.
-
Gyrfalcons can lay eggs when it is still freezing outside.
Gyrfalcons that nest in the Arctic often start laying eggs while it is still below freezing.
Arctic-nesting gyrfalcons frequently begin laying while temperatures are still below freezing (The Peregrine Fund).
-
Gyrfalcons can be almost all white.
Gyrfalcons can be almost all white, gray or nearly black; gray birds are by far the most common.
White, gray and dark morphs occur, with a complete range between them; the gray morph is by far the most common (HawkWatch International).
-
Gyrfalcons sometimes save food for later.
While raising chicks, gyrfalcons sometimes store part of a big meal, such as an Arctic hare, and eat it later.
During nesting, gyrfalcons cache large prey such as Arctic hares between feedings (Animal Diversity Web).
Words to know
- falcon
- a bird of prey with long, pointed wings and a hooked beak
- tundra
- cold, treeless land in the far north or high on mountains
- ptarmigan
- a kind of grouse, a bird that lives on the ground in cold northern places
- stoop
- a fast dive by a bird of prey onto its prey
- morph
- one of the different color forms of the same species
- falconry
- training birds of prey to hunt with people
Discovery challenge
-
What do gyrfalcons hunt most?
Which bird do gyrfalcons hunt most?
Which prey does the gyrfalcon rely on most heavily?
- Ptarmigans
- Penguins
- Parrots
Show the answer
Ptarmigans
Ptarmigans, birds that live on the tundra.
Ptarmigans. Gyrfalcons on coasts also catch gulls, ducks and geese.
Ptarmigan, the mainstay of the diet on the Arctic tundra; by weight, most prey is ptarmigan, Arctic ground squirrels and Arctic hares.
-
Where do gyrfalcons live?
Where in the world do gyrfalcons live?
How would you describe the gyrfalcon's distribution?
- Around the Arctic in the far north
- In tropical rainforests
- In the deserts of Africa
Show the answer
Around the Arctic in the far north
In the cold far north.
All around the Arctic: Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, northern Europe and Russia.
Circumpolar, in Arctic and alpine tundra.
-
Which gyrfalcons are bigger, moms or dads?
Which are bigger, male or female gyrfalcons?
Which sex is larger in Falco rusticolus?
- Females
- Males
- They are always the same
Show the answer
Females
The moms are bigger.
Females are much bigger and heavier than males.
Females; males weigh about 800 to 1,350 grams and females about 1,200 to 2,100.
-
Where do gyrfalcons lay their eggs?
Where do gyrfalcons nest?
What nest sites do gyrfalcons use?
- On cliffs or in old raven nests
- Floating on lakes
- In holes underground
Show the answer
On cliffs or in old raven nests
On cliffs, high above the ground.
On cliff ledges or in old stick nests of ravens and golden eagles.
Scraped hollows on cliff ledges or old raven and golden eagle nests; no nest is built.
Places where you might see it
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Watch
Country
Canada
Canada is the second-largest country in the world, stretching across the north of North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific and up into the Arctic. It has the Rocky Mountains, thousands of islands and about 42 million people, who speak English, French and many other languages.
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Watch
Country
Greenland
Greenland is the world's largest island, in the North Atlantic and Arctic. A huge ice sheet covers more than four-fifths of the land, and glaciers drop icebergs into deep fjords. Most Greenlanders are Inuit, and they call their home Kalaallit Nunaat. Greenland governs itself but is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. On January 1, 2026, 56,740 people lived there.
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Watch
Country
Iceland
Iceland is an island country in the North Atlantic, close to the Arctic Circle. It sits on the border between two giant plates of Earth's crust and has about 200 volcanoes, many hot springs and huge glaciers, and about 396,500 people lived there in mid-2026.
Explore next
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3D
Animal
Peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon is a crow-sized bird of prey famous for its hunting dive, called a stoop. Diving from high above, it can reach about 320 kilometers per hour, making it the fastest animal on Earth. It lives on every continent except Antarctica, even in big cities.
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Animal
Common kestrel
The common kestrel is a small falcon found across Europe, Asia and Africa. It is famous for hovering: it hangs in the air with its head perfectly still, watching the ground for voles and mice. Males have a gray head and tail; females are browner. It is listed as Least Concern, but in parts of Europe its numbers are falling.
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Animal
Snowy owl
The snowy owl is a large white owl that nests on the Arctic tundra. Unlike most owls it hunts in daylight, and in the endless light of an Arctic summer it may hunt at any hour. Lemmings are its favorite food.
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Animal
Arctic fox
The Arctic fox lives on the frozen tundra around the North Pole. Its coat changes color with the seasons, white or blue-gray in winter and brown or gray in summer, and it has short ears, a short nose and furry feet to keep the cold out. It eats lemmings, birds and leftovers from polar bears.
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Watch
Country
Canada
Canada is the second-largest country in the world, stretching across the north of North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific and up into the Arctic. It has the Rocky Mountains, thousands of islands and about 42 million people, who speak English, French and many other languages.
-
Watch
Country
Greenland
Greenland is the world's largest island, in the North Atlantic and Arctic. A huge ice sheet covers more than four-fifths of the land, and glaciers drop icebergs into deep fjords. Most Greenlanders are Inuit, and they call their home Kalaallit Nunaat. Greenland governs itself but is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. On January 1, 2026, 56,740 people lived there.
-
Watch
Country
Iceland
Iceland is an island country in the North Atlantic, close to the Arctic Circle. It sits on the border between two giant plates of Earth's crust and has about 200 volcanoes, many hot springs and huge glaciers, and about 396,500 people lived there in mid-2026.
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Watch
Animal
Willow ptarmigan
The willow ptarmigan is a plump grouse of the Arctic tundra and northern mountains in North America, Europe and Asia. It changes its feathers twice a year, from mottled brown in summer to white in winter, so it is camouflaged all year. In winter, thick feathers on its feet work like snowshoes, and it lives mostly on willow buds and twigs.
For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Describe how the gyrfalcon hunts in open Arctic country.
- Name the gyrfalcon's main prey, the ptarmigan, and other animals it eats.
- Understand that scientists sometimes disagree about how many animals there are.
- Name threats facing Arctic wildlife, including climate change.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- What might a gyrfalcon do in a winter when ptarmigans are hard to find?
- Why could it be hard to count birds that nest on remote Arctic cliffs?
- How might a warmer Arctic change life for gyrfalcons and ptarmigans?
Try at home or in class
- Hold a tape measure out to 110 and then 130 centimeters to see a gyrfalcon's wingspan, then compare it with your own arm span.
- Find the Arctic Circle on a globe and trace the countries where gyrfalcons live.
Key vocabulary: falcon, tundra, ptarmigan, stoop, morph, falconry
Where these facts come from
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and GBIF Occurrence Search , Global Biodiversity Information Facility (CC0 1.0 (backbone); occurrence counts are facts derived from records under CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC)
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN terms of use (no redistribution of Red List data or range maps))
- Falco rusticolus (BirdLife International, assessed 10 August 2021, published 2021) , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Falco rusticolus: population and threats text , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Falcons (Wildlife Notebook Series) , Alaska Department of Fish and Game
- Gyrfalcon , The Peregrine Fund
- Gyrfalcon (Guide to North American Birds, Kenn Kaufman) , National Audubon Society
- Falco rusticolus (gyrfalcon), T. Flockhart , Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- Gyrfalcon raptor identification fact sheet , HawkWatch International
- File:Falco rusticolus, juvenil, Naturschutzgebiet Schleimündung.jpg (Schleimündung nature reserve, Germany, 22 March 2015, George Lalla) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file: Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA only (credited on each page))
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.