This is bird note.

Winter sends many wondrous birds down from the Arctic,

including majestic jeer falcons.

They're smaller than our biggest raptors, like bald eagles and golden eagles.

But gyr falcons are the largest falcons in the world,

with a wingspan of up to four feet and weighing in at almost five pounds.

The name Jerefalkin derives from an old Norse word for spear.

No wonder it was prized by medieval falconers and reserved for royalty.

Kubla Khan, the Mongol Emperor, is said to have kept 200.

When hunting, the jeer falcon flies fast and low over the ground,

hugging the contours of the land to conceal its attack.

It can overtake a fleeing duck at 60 miles an hour.

During the summer, you'll find Gerefalkans on the t tundra where they feed on Arctic birds like

tarmigan. But in the winter some will fly as far south as the northern US hunting

shore birds, partridges, and even rodents across open farmland and coastal areas.

When these great hunters from the North descend, it's wise to take cover. For Bird Note, Note, I'm Ashley Ahern.

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