Animals > Falcons

Falcons

Falco rusticolus (gyrfalcon) · Falco tinnunculus (common kestrel)

AUDIO GUIDE

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Two falcons, two worlds. The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon on the planet and lives in the Arctic, among the snow and rocks of Greenland, Scandinavia and Siberia. Some are almost entirely white, perfect camouflage in the tundra. In the Middle Ages it was the falcon of kings, a gift reserved for monarchs. The common kestrel, on the other hand, is one of our most familiar neighbors. You have surely seen one hanging motionless in the air, beating its wings beside a road: this is its famous hovering flight, which it uses to scan the ground for prey. And it has a superpower: it sees ultraviolet light. Thanks to this, it detects the urine trails of voles, which glow for it like a treasure map. Speed, precision and extraordinary eyesight.

Fun facts

  • The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon on the planet and lives in the Arctic; some are almost entirely white, perfect camouflage in the tundra.
  • In the Middle Ages it was the falcon of kings, a gift reserved for monarchs.
  • The common kestrel scans the ground with its famous hovering flight, hanging motionless in the air beside roads.
  • It sees ultraviolet light: this is how it detects the urine trails of voles, which glow for it like a treasure map.

General information

Height Gyrfalcon: up to 65 cm; kestrel: about 35 cm
Weight Gyrfalcon: 1 to 2 kg; kestrel: about 200 g
Diet Carnivore. Birds, voles and insects.
Gestation Incubation of 28 to 35 days
Life expectancy Between 5 and 15 years, depending on the species
Habitat Arctic (gyrfalcon) and open country of Europe, Asia and Africa (kestrel)

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