The national animal of Iceland is the gyrfalcon. This is the largest falcon in the world and breeds on Arctic coasts and in the Arctic tundra, as well in North American islands and many parts of the Eurosiberian region. They are naturally a common sight in Iceland and have become an important national symbol.
Most of Iceland’s wildlife is precisely the sorts of things you would expect; arctic foxes, amphibious mammals like seals, many species of whale, and birds like puffins.
The gyrfalcon represents, symbolically, the apex of these Arctic animals in the sense of its position in the food chain and its emblematic significance to the people.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Iceland?
The national animal of Iceland is the gyrfalcon.
This is a species of falcon that is found over a very wide range of the most northerly parts of the world.
They are Arctic animals and most commonly breed and live in Arctic tundra and coastline, so naturally they are very well adapted to extremely cold environments such as you typically find in Iceland.
They are mostly resident to Eurosiberia and the islands in the far north of North America, but many do also disperse more widely after the breeding season and in winter.
Their plumage can vary a lot depending on the particular population in question.
They can be all white to dark brown.
They are highly sexually dimorphic and females are much larger than males.
They were first described by prolific zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 and they retain the binomial name he gave them, Falco rusticolus.
They are the largest falcon species in the world, around the same size as most buzzards but being slightly heavier.
The males are arrowed 19 to 24 inches long and weigh around one to three pounds.
The male wingspan is usually around 50 inches. Females are usullay around 20 to 25 inches long and around 50 to 60 inches in wingspan.
One particularly bulky female in Siberia was weighed at almost 6 pounds.
They have long been valued as a hunting bird and, naturally, are very successful birds of prey.
They often hunt other, smaller birds like the ptarmigan and many species of waterfowl.
Sometimes, they will catch these other birds in flight though they may also prey on their young.
They are also known to catch fish and small mammals. Given their huge range, they eat a very varied diet.
So, why are they the national animal of Iceland?
Why is the gyrfalcon the national animal of Iceland?
The gyrfalcon is the national animal of Iceland for several reasons.
On the one hand, they are seen as symbols of liberty, strength, and national pride, having been very important both literally and symbolically to the people of Iceland.
They were used as hunting birds in Iceland throughout the Middle Ages and it was even forbidden for common folk to own them; they were the exclusive right of Norse royalty.
So, in that sense, the bird has also been a symbol of Iceland’s rule as well as more generally a symbol of national pride.
On the other hand, they are of course excellent embodiments of Iceland’s natural beauty.
They are often white in plumage in Iceland and thus perfectly embody the country’s icy, cold landscape. Soaring high in the skies as they do, few animals could so well encompass all of Iceland in the natural sense.
The truth is, though, that you may get a different answer to this question depending on whom you ask.
The gyrfalcon embodies many things to the people of Iceland and has embodied different things at different times and places.
So, the gyrfalcon is, if nothing else, a very versatile image.
What is the world’s largest falcon?
The gyrfalcon is the world’s largest species of falcon.
As mentioned, the largest individual ever recorded was a female in Siberia, who weighed almost six pounds.
This huge bulk is necessary in colder climates and giving them access to a wider variety of prey, as time can get tough when there is less prey available.
Given, also, that they are generally not migratory birds, they usually make do with what they can find in their ordinary range.
They are not of course strangers to moving around as necessary, but given that they are already well adapted to cold climates, they have no need to move around seasonally except if prey is scarce.
Are gyrfalcons aggressive?
The gyrfalcon is not particularly aggressive to humans, usually.
They are of course hunters, so sometimes they must be aggressive in competition for prey.
They will also be very fierce in defending their young even sometimes from predators as large as a grizzly bear.
Many species will threaten their young and they will aggressively defend them.
But they are not really aggressive to humans. Unless you are trying to steal their young, they are likely to leave you alone if you even see them at all; even a human baby would be far too large a choice of prey for even such a large falcon.
It’s easy to see why the gyrfalcon, the largest of all falcon species, should hold such symbolic national significance to the people of Iceland.
They embody the Arctic climate of the nation and few animals are as physically imposing in the Arctic skies as this falcon.
They have been and will continue to be important to the people of the nation for a very long time.