BIRDS OF PREY 



(353) Faico islandus Briinn 



(Lat., a falcon; Icelandic). 



WHITE GYRFALCON. Legs 

 feathered half way to the toes. 

 Ads. — Plumage as shown by the 

 nearest bird — pure white, more or 

 less spotted or barred with blackish, 

 as in Snowy Owls. Itn. — Not 

 greatly different, but with more 

 blackish. L., 22.00; VV., 14.50. 



Range — Arctic regions; casual in 

 Me. and Ont. 



(354) Falco rustlcolus rusti= 

 colus Linn. 

 GRAY GYRFALCON. Plumage 

 as shown by rear bird — grayer with 

 more barring and spots. Casually 

 south to northern U. S. GYR- 

 FALCON (F. r. gyrfalcon) is still 

 darker, the blackish being in excess 

 of light coloring. 



This species is not as destructive as the last, but when its 

 usual sources of food fail, they will take lambs, pigs, or 

 fawns. As they are more commonly found about water, 

 they kill quite a number of various species of ducks and, in 

 the south especially, coots. The greater part of their food 

 is carrion, chiefly dead fish which they get from the shores. 

 They are almost as good scavengers along the beaches as 

 are vultures. They often visit fish nets at low tide, when 

 they can reach down and help themselves. I have never 

 seen them dive for living fish; they prefer to let the Osprey 

 do that and then rob him of his prey. I have seen this 

 interesting, oft-described performance several times — 

 twice in one morning at Cape Henry, Va., where an Osprey 

 had its nest only a quarter mile from the shore that the 

 eagles were continually patrolling. On the first occasion, 

 the Osprey dropped its fish as soon as the eagle started in 

 pursuit; the second time, both birds soared so high as to be 

 nearly beyond vision even with good binoculars, before the 

 booty was relinquished, the hawk descending out over the 



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