The Icelandic Falcon is illustrated twice, as a mature and young bird. The immature falcon 'a bird of first autumn', depicted almost life-size, has different markings from an adult bird. Gould wrote 'I must not fail to mention.... that the markings of the undersurface are of striated form in the youthful birds, and that these marks become of transverse or barred form in the adult.'

Young birds, particularly eagles and falcons, according to Gould, have a tendency to wander far from their native home, 'it is not surprising that Scotland and the northern and some other parts of England should be visited by this fine species...'

DISTRIBUTION: Breeds circumpolar Arctic. Winters south to southern Norway, Finland and Siberia; also Canada to about 50°N. In Gould's time the Icelandic Gyrfalcon was considered to be a separate species but is now regarded as merely a geographical or colour variation