“The gyrfalcon comes in three colour phases -- dark, gray or white. It is the king
of the falcons and is much sought after by the falconers of the world, especially
the nobility of the Arabian peninsula. The huge sums of money which are paid
for the living birds or even the eggs, create an impossible pressure on the wild
population. In North America they are, or course, totally protected by law,
but enforcement is not always successful.

“I did this painting for an endangered species show. I wanted to indicate a lonely
feeling, thus I have the bird looking a bit wistful at the bottom of a large misty
space. The colour scheme is restrained and bleak. The white edge to the wing
is echoed in the vein of quartz in the rock.” 
Robert Bateman

- Dark Gyrfalcon -

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