According to a recent Oxford University study, the gyrfalcon ( Falco rusticolus ) is the only known land bird that spends part of its life on floating icebergs . Following 48 specimens from Greenland with the help of satellite transmitters, the researchers found that this falcon, which lives on the coasts of the Arctic and on the northernmost islands of North America and Europe, can spend 40 consecutive days at sea, resting in the icebergs and feeding on other birds.
The finding is surprising, since, unlike seabirds such as gannets, ducks or pelicans, the gyrfalcon does not have legs with the fingers joined by a membrane to move in the water, nor does it have a fatty covering that keeps its feathers dry. What it does have is strong claws , great speed and an extraordinary ability to hunt prey on the fly that it then transports to an iceberg for lunch.
Kurt Burnham, co-author of the study published in the specialized journal Ibis , assures that it is fascinating that "these birds spend part of the winter on ice", and that his work demonstrates "how gyrfalcons have adapted to survive in the hostile Arctic environment in the who live".
