As already known, representatives of the falcon family are predators. The largest of these is the gyrfalcon. The bird (the photo reflects all the beauty) is very original.
The gyrfalcons are very hardy. But their population has been declining recently. And this is mainly due to human intervention. People destroy the nests of gyrfalcons, destroy birds for fun (make stuffed animals) or material gain. As several centuries ago, and in our times they are used in falconry. An excellent helper is a gyrfalcon - a bird, the description of which is read further.
Description
Gyrfalcon is distinguished by its beautiful, colorful coloring. The belly is whitish with a dark tint. This is a great disguise during the incubation period. Large pointed wings has gyrfalcon. The bird (the photo clearly displays all its features) has a rather unusual color.
Paws are powerful, yellow. It is by color that you can distinguish between adults and young animals. The former have a more pronounced color. The color of the bird consists of brown, gray and white shades.
Gyrfalcon is a large bird. With a body length of about 60 cm, the wingspan is up to 135 cm. This is quite impressive. Moreover, females are much larger than males. The weight of an adult reaches 2 kg. But this does not prevent the gyrfalcon from gaining lightning speed after 2-3 wing flaps, which is important during the hunt. Gyrfalcon is a very hardy bird. He can chase his victim for about 1 km.
Outwardly, the gyrfalcon is very similar to the peregrine Falcon, but the first has a longer tail and spots under the eyes are less noticeable.
Habitat
Gyrfalcon is a nomad bird. Prefers colder habitats. Most fly south in winter. But some representatives of this family are sedentary.
Gyrfalcons are common in Asia, Europe and North America. So, in Europe, the largest number of these birds is recorded in Iceland (about 2 hundred pairs).
In Russia, gyrfalcons are most widespread in the south of Yamal and in Kamchatka.
The main habitats are river valleys, sea coasts, and tundra. Gyrfalcon nests away from humans.
They migrate not only horizontally, but also vertically. So, the Central Asian gyrfalcon changes the alpine zone to the valley.
Gyrfalcon nutrition
As already noted, gyrfalcon is a bird of prey. Food for them are small birds and animals: squirrels, hares, ground squirrels, ducks, owls and others. The daily need for food is 200 g. Gyrfalcons are hunted both individually and in pairs, taking turns to drive the prey.
They look out for their sacrifice from above. They hunt, like all falcons: they quickly overtake from above and dig in their claws. Then they kill by breaking the victim’s neck with their beak.
The diet of gyrfalcons differs depending on the time of year. So, in the summer they prey on birds, grabbing them on the fly. In winter, such prey becomes less, so the gyrfalcons begin to catch small animals. If such food is scarce, these predators would not mind eating fish and amphibians.
Gyrfalcons have one peculiarity: they never hunt their little neighbors. Moreover, gyrfalcons do not allow other predators to do this, driving them out of their territory.
Breeding
Gyrfalcon puberty occurs at the age of two years. They choose a pair for life. The mating season begins in winter. The breeding period lasts a week. In April, with a frequency of 3 days, the female lays one egg each. Nests are rarely built. Prefer to occupy strangers or nest in the rocks under a canopy. The diameter of the nest is about 1 m and a height of about 50 cm. It consists of dried grass, moss and feathers. Nesting ratchets try not to change. Cases of nesting of these birds in one place for many decades are known.
Offspring
As a rule, the female lays 3-4 eggs. Chicks appear in about a month. Family responsibilities for gyrfalcons are strictly divided. After the offspring appears, the female looks after the chicks, warming them, and the male obtains food. And before bringing the prey, he plucks it away from the nest. More experienced females can sometimes leave nests and take part in hunting.
The survival of offspring of gyrfalcons directly depends on the availability of food. An important factor is that the birth of chicks should coincide with the addition of their victims (for example, white hares) to the family. After all, to bring a large prey to the male in the nest is simply not within the power. And small gyrfalcons may starve to death.
Therefore, the number of offspring of these birds varies depending on the season.
At the age of 1.5 months, gyrfalcon chicks begin to fly and try to hunt themselves. But far from the nest, they do not fly away. Growing up independent chicks begin in the autumn.
Interesting information
Gyrfalcon is a bird of the tundra. Since ancient times, gyrfalcons have been valued as a commodity. They were specially caught and resold to participate in falconry. Bird training took about 2 weeks. Specially trained birds could fly up to 70 sorties a day. On hunting, gyrfalcons have been used for about 10 years. Because of their stamina, they were very much appreciated. They were even exchanged for horses. In the 17-18 centuries, these birds were specially caught in Russia for further sale to the East.
Gyrfalcon is a rare bird. Today, the number of gyrfalcons is rapidly declining. This is due to a reduction in natural food for these predators. Gyrfalcons also suffer from poachers. So, abroad, the approximate cost of these birds is 30 thousand dollars.
In order to preserve this species of bird of prey, hunting is prohibited, especially in reserves. In addition, America, Japan and Russia signed an agreement on the conservation of these birds.