GYRFALCON

By Jim Williams

For the Minnesota Star Tribune
February 5, 2008 at 9:26PM
Gyrfalcon
Gyrfalcon (Special To The Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

GYRFALCON

Falco rusticolus

The gyrfalcon is the king of falcons and the bird of kings. The largest of North America's falcons, it's slightly larger than a red-tailed hawk, though it has a similar wing span - about 4 feet. Its sleek, narrow wings move with deep, steady beats, giving the impression that the gyrfalcon is always in a hurry. These cold-hardy birds nest on cliff faces in the Arctic, but in winter they may wander, sometimes as far south as Minnesota.

A royal history

In medieval times, only kings were allowed to own gyrs, according to English custom. Iceland, which came under Danish rule in the 14th century, was a major source of gyrfalcons. It's thought that Danish kings made good money selling white gyrs to other royals. Then, as now, most gyrs were brownish or gray. White gyrs were rare, coveted and costly.

What's for dinner?

Gyrs feed mostly on large birds, and ptarmigan is a staple of their diet. Researchers estimate that a breeding pair of gyrs raising four young birds would require 150 to 200 ptarmigan to feed themselves and their family from courtship to fledging.

Rare visitors

Seeing a gyr here is a special event. During the winters of 2005 and 2006, a gyr was reported near Hastings. The bird (or birds) hunted mallards wintering on the open Mississippi River. But Bob Janssen, one of the state's best-known birders, has seen only six gyrs in 60 years of bird-watching in Minnesota.

Duluth is a good place to look for them. There, they are seen perhaps seven of every 10 winters, hunting pigeons and rats around the grain elevators at the ports.

A better bet

One of the best places in the country to find wintering gyrs is on the Fort Pierre National Grasslands south of Pierre, S.D. That rolling prairie holds thousands of pheasants, as good as a ptarmigan any day. Gyrs are being seen there this winter.

about the writer

about the writer

Jim Williams