🦅 Gyrfalcon vs Peregrine falcon 🦅
The gyrfalcon is a bit bigger than the peregrine falcon. The gyrfalcon weighs about one and a half times as much as the peregrine falcon.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Gyrfalcon | 🦅 Peregrine falcon |
|---|---|---|
| Size The gyrfalcon is a bit bigger than the peregrine falcon. | 21 to 22 in53 to 56 cm1 | 14 to 23 in36 to 58 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the gyrfalcon yet. | no checked number yet | 200 mph322 km/h3 |
| Weight The gyrfalcon weighs about one and a half times as much as the peregrine falcon. | 1.8 to 4.6 lb800 g to 2.1 kg1 | 1.1 to 3.1 lb500 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives The peregrine falcon usually lives about one and a half times as long as the gyrfalcon. | 14 years14 years1 | 20 years20 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | ptarmigan, Arctic ground squirrels and Arctic hares, and other small mammals and birds | other birds, such as pigeons and ducks |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | mostly Arctic tundra, far from the northern forests | every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings |
Which one? Gyrfalcon or peregrine falcon
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the gyrfalcon yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Gyrfalcon vs Peregrine falcon
- The gyrfalcon: A big falcon that lives on the northern tundra.
- The peregrine falcon: The fastest animal in the world when it dives from the sky.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The gyrfalcon is a bit bigger than the peregrine falcon: 1 against 2.
- The gyrfalcon weighs about one and a half times as much as the peregrine falcon. That is 1 for the gyrfalcon and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
- The peregrine falcon usually lives about one and a half times as long as the gyrfalcon. Usual lifespans: 1 for the gyrfalcon and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
- Both eat meat. The gyrfalcon eats ptarmigan, Arctic ground squirrels and Arctic hares, and other small mammals and birds; the peregrine falcon eats other birds, such as pigeons and ducks.
- The gyrfalcon lives in mostly Arctic tundra, far from the northern forests. The peregrine falcon lives in every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The gyrfalcon: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The peregrine falcon: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦅 Gyrfalcon
- A gyrfalcon nests on the Arctic tundra.
- Female gyrfalcons are bigger than males.
- Most of its food is ptarmigan, a plump northern bird.
🦅 Peregrine falcon
- Its dive is called a stoop.
- A clear extra eyelid wipes its eyes clean as it dives.
- Peregrines nest on skyscraper ledges, which look like cliffs to them.
Questions kids ask about Gyrfalcon and Peregrine falcon
Which is bigger, gyrfalcon or peregrine falcon?
The gyrfalcon is a bit bigger than the peregrine falcon: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, gyrfalcon or peregrine falcon?
The gyrfalcon weighs about one and a half times as much as the peregrine falcon. That is 1 for the gyrfalcon and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
Which lives longer, gyrfalcon or peregrine falcon?
The peregrine falcon usually lives about one and a half times as long as the gyrfalcon. Usual lifespans: 1 for the gyrfalcon and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
What do gyrfalcon and peregrine falcon eat?
Both eat meat. The gyrfalcon eats ptarmigan, Arctic ground squirrels and Arctic hares, and other small mammals and birds; the peregrine falcon eats other birds, such as pigeons and ducks.
Where do gyrfalcon and peregrine falcon live?
The gyrfalcon lives in mostly Arctic tundra, far from the northern forests. The peregrine falcon lives in every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, gyrfalcon or peregrine falcon?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/gyrfalcon-vs-peregrine-falcon
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Falco rusticolus (gyrfalcon), checked 10 November 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Denali and Yukon-Charley Rivers, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.