The Gyrfalcon is the best-proportioned and most active member of the Falcon tribe. In strength it even rivals the Eagle itself, although it is hardly two feet in height. Its colour varies with its age. When young it is of a beautiful brown tint, but becomes almost white with age. It inhabits the Arctic regions, where it feeds on large birds, principally Gallinaceæ or Palmipedes.
Fig. 285.—Sultan Falcons (F. peregrinator).
Three varieties of this species are known, all very similar to each other: the White Falcon, called by Buffon the White Gyrfalcon of the North, which inhabits the extreme north of the two continents; the Falco islandicus, or Gyrfalcon of Iceland, peculiar to that country; and the Gyrfalcon of Norway, which is found in Scandinavia, and sometimes appears in Germany, Holland, and France.
The first two of these are very docile, and consequently were eagerly sought after by falconers, who used them for pursuing the Heron, Crane, and Stork. An ancient Danish law, which was repealed in 1758, forbade, under pain of death, the destruction of these birds.
The Lanner Falcon (Buffon) is about the same size as the White Gyrfalcon; it is found in Hungary, Russia, Styria, and Greece, where it makes its appearance after the arrival of the birds of passage. It is also easily trained for hawking.
Fig. 286.—Peregrine Falcon (F. peregrinus).
The Sultan Falcon (F. peregrinator), [Fig. 285], is larger than the preceding species. It is found in Germany and Southern Russia, Turkey, and Asia Minor.
In the first rank of Falcons proper must be mentioned the Peregrine Falcon ([Fig. 286]), often designated by the names of the Common Falcon and the Passenger Falcon. As its name sufficiently indicates, it is a bird of passage. It is common in the centre and north of Western Europe, as well as in the islands of the Mediterranean. It also inhabits North America, where it is frequently called the Chicken-eater.