_Falco rusticolus gyrfalco_
A large Hawk with long, pointed wings, the upper
parts brown with numerous narrow, buffy bars or
margins, the tail evenly barred with grayish and
blackish, the underparts white lightly streaked
with black. L. 22.
_Range._ Arctic regions; south in winter rarely to
New York and Minnesota. The Gray Gyrfalcon (_F. r.
rusticolus_) a paler form, with a streaked crown,
the Black Gyrfalcon (_F. r. obsoletus_) a
slate-colored race, and the White Gyrfalcon (_F.
islandus_) are also rare winter visitants to the
northern United States.
These great Falcons are so rare in the United States that unless they
are seen by an experienced observer, under exceptionally favorable
conditions, authentic records of their visits can be based only on the
actual capture of specimens.