Birds of North Carolina
their Distribution and Abundance
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
FALCONIDAE Members:
General Comments
The only state record for the Gyrfalcon is of one individual, of the gray morph, observed sitting in a plowed field near Bayboro (Pamlico), on 10 Feb 1992* (Chat 59:69-70). The NC BRC not only accepted the report as to species but also as to wild origin (Chat 58:85-88); however, as no photos were taken, the species was placed on the Provisional List. To put the record in perspective, there are three accepted records of this rare Arctic-nesting raptor for Virginia (Rottenborn and Brinkley 2007).
Breeding Status
Nonbreeder
NC BRC List
The species' status on the List of Bird Species of North Carolina: either Definitive, Provisional, or Extinct, as administered by the NC Bird Records Committee. The Provisional List contains species for which there are less than three accepted sight (i.e., non-documented) records. Species of unaccepted origin are not included on the List of Bird Species of North Carolina.
Provisional
State Status
none
U.S. Status
Provisional
State Rank
SA
Global Rank
G5
Coastal Plain
One record (see above).
Piedmont
No records.
Mountains
No records.
Finding Tips
1/2*