WHITE GYRFALCON 9 



wanders far from its summer haunts in search of food, though only 

 rarely to the southern Provinces of Canada and to the northern 

 States. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — The species is circumpolar in its distribution and confined 

 almost entirely to the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, wandering irregu- 

 larly south to the Northern United States, the British Isles, central 

 Europe, and Kamchatka. 



Breeding range. — In North America the gyrfalcon breeds north to 

 northern Alaska (Tuksuk River, Kotzebue Sound, Fort Yukon, Point 

 Barrow, and the Porcupine River "above Fort Yukon"); Grinnell 

 Land (Cape Hayes); and Greenland (Godhavn). East to Greenland 

 (Godhavn, Holsteinborg, Frederikshaab, and Ivigtut). South to 

 southern Greenland (Ivigtut); Labrador (Cape Chidley and Port 

 Purnell); Ungava (Chimo); southern Franklin (Iglulik and Felix 

 Harbor); northern Mackenzie (Fort Anderson); and Alaska (Crater 

 Mountain). West to Alaska (Crater Mountain and Tuksuk River). 

 The species also is reported to breed on the east coast of Greenland; 

 for exact details see Manniche (1910). 



Winter range. — The precise limits of the winter range are difficult 

 to define, as the gyrfalcon is resident in many high latitudes as in 

 Alaska (Nulato), Ungava (Chimo), and Greenland. Its southward 

 movements are always irregular, but based upon frequency of occur- 

 rence the winter range may be stated as south to Massachusetts 

 (Ipswich, Northampton, and Melrose); Rhode Island (Providence, 

 Tiverton, and Newport) ; Connecticut (Durham) ; New York (Fishers 

 Island, Quogue, Oceanside, Flushing, Chester, Canandaigua, and 

 Monroe County); Pennsylvania (Kittatinny Ridge and Manheim); 

 southern Ontario (Ottawa); Wisconsin (Beaver Dam); Minnesota 

 (Minneapolis and Madison); Montana (Shonkin and Fortine); and 

 southern British Columbia (Saanich, mouth of the Fraser River, 

 and Comox). 



As above sketched the territory includes all races of the gyrfalcon 

 that are found in North America, but, as has been previously indi- 

 cated, the respective ranges are not clearly understood. Generally 

 speaking, the typical North American race is the black gyrfalcon 

 (Falco r. obsoletus), which is found from northern Alaska to Labrador, 

 wandering southward to New England, Pennsylvania, the Dakotas, 

 British Columbia, and, casually, even farther. The white gyrfalcon 

 (F. r. candicans) is resident in Greenland and possibly also in extreme 

 northeastern Canada. It too is known occasionally to wander south 

 to the Northern United States. The Asiatic gyrfalcon (F. r. uralensis) 

 is found in northern Siberia east to Kamchatka and the islands in 



13751—38 2 



