The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world. Gyrfalcons are top predators in the Arctic. They live on the Arctic tundra and open mountains. They are often found near cliffs along coasts and rivers. A gyrfalcon can live in some of the coldest, harshest places on Earth. Most gyrfalcons stay in the far north all year. In winter some gyrfalcons move south, and some stay in their territories.

Gyrfalcons come in white, gray, and dark forms, called morphs. White gyrfalcons are found mainly in Greenland. They have dark eyes. An adult has yellow legs.

A gyrfalcon has long, pointed wings. It is about 20 to 25 inches long. Its wings spread about four feet from tip to tip. A female is bigger than a male. A grown female can weigh as much as about 2.1 kilograms (about 4.5 pounds).

A gyrfalcon hunts over open ground with no trees, using a fast, low flight to chase its prey. Gyrfalcons are strong fliers. They can keep flying for a long time while they hunt. They eat mostly other birds. On the tundra the gyrfalcon's main food is ptarmigan. Near the coast a gyrfalcon may eat more gulls and ducks. It also eats waterfowl and seabirds. It eats some small mammals, such as ground squirrels and hares.

A gyrfalcon does not build its own nest, but it will use a stick nest that another bird built when one is available. Gyrfalcons nest on cliff faces and often use a bare ledge or shelf of rock as the place to lay their eggs.

A gyrfalcon usually lays three or four eggs. The eggs take about five weeks to hatch. A female gyrfalcon sits on the eggs more than the male does. The male helps with the incubating.

A gyrfalcon calls with a series of kak sounds.

Adult gyrfalcons bring food to the nest for their young.

Words to know

• predators: hunting animals
• tundra: treeless land
• morphs: color forms
• incubating: warming eggs

The short version

The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world. It lives in the far north, in the Arctic, where it is a top predator. It eats mostly other birds, and on the tundra its main food is ptarmigan. It does not build its own nest and nests on cliffs.

Quick facts

• A gyrfalcon is about 20 to 25 inches long, and its wings spread about four feet from tip to tip.
• A grown female gyrfalcon can weigh as much as about 2.1 kilograms (about 4.5 pounds), and a female is bigger than a male.
• Gyrfalcons come in white, gray, and dark forms, called morphs.
• A gyrfalcon usually lays three or four eggs, which take about five weeks to hatch.