Falco rusticolus gyrfalcon on the island of Vize (Kara Sea)
I. I. CHUPIN1,2, M. V. GAVRILO1
1Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia
2Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
Keywords: Gyrfalcon, Vize Island, Kara Sea, Arctic
Abstract
The gyrfalcon is a rare falcon with circumpolar distribution in low Arctic tundra. For the Russian Arctic islands and archipelagos, it is known as a occasional vagrant only. Here we report late summer observation of a young female gyrfalcon far beyond its main range. Our finding of gyrfalcon on Vize Island in 2020 is the northeasternmost record of this species in Eurasian Arctic. The falcon spent at least two weeks on the island and was able to adapt and mastered a new food resource - fledglings of0 kittiwakes. A young falcon took pre only in flight and often failed while attacking kittiwakes, but hunted 1-2 gulls daily, what covered its energetic demands in full. Under conditions of scarce food resources and few prey species available, being hunger the gyrfalcon could eat stale food, but necessarily obtained by itself. Any new data on the distribution of this rare species expands our understanding of its capabilities for dispersal and exploration of new habitats, adaptations to previously unknown trophic conditions and food plasticity.
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