is 34.5 to 41 cm, the tail is 19.5 to 29 cm, the culmen is 2 to 2.8 cm and the tarsus is 4.9 to 7.5 cm. The gyrfalcon is larger, broader-winged and longer-tailed than the peregrine falcon, which it is known to compete with (and occasionally hunt). It differs from the buzzard in general structure, having pointed wings.

The gyrfalcon is a very polymorphic