---
title: "Gyrfalcon"
description: "Falco rusticolus — Uccelli. The gyrfalcon ( or ) (Falco rusticolus), also abbreviated as gyr, is a bird of prey and the largest species in the falcon family, Falconidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/gyrfalcon
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Gyrfalcon

> Falco rusticolus — Uccelli. The gyrfalcon ( or ) (Falco rusticolus), also abbreviated as gyr, is a bird of prey and the largest species in the falcon family, Falconidae.

- Scientific name: *Falco rusticolus*
- Category: `birds` (Uccelli)
- Habitats: `arctic` (Artico)
- iNaturalist observations: 1219
- Wikidata: [Q177688](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q177688)
- iNaturalist taxon: [4657](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4657)

## Names

- en: Gyrfalcon
- de: Gerfalke
- es: Halcón Gerifalte
- fr: Faucon gerfaut
- nl: Giervalk
- pt: Falcão-gerifalte
- pl: Białozór

## Countries with the most observations

US (356), CA (307), RU (97), IS (73), NO (27), SE (13), GL (11), NL (9), FI (5), CN (3), DK (3)

## Summary

The gyrfalcon ( or ) (Falco rusticolus), also abbreviated as gyr, is a bird of prey and the largest species in the falcon family, Falconidae. A high-latitude species, the gyrfalcon breeds on the Arctic coasts and tundra, the islands of northern North America and Siberia, where it is mainly a resident species. Some gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season or in winter, and individual vagrancy can take birds for long distances. Its plumage varies with location, with birds being coloured from all-white to dark grey-brown. These colour variations are called morphs. Like other falcons, it shows sexual…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrfalcon

## Photo

![Gyrfalcon](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/gyrfalcon/medium.jpg)

Photo: Carter Dorscht · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/63487558

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/gyrfalcon?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).