A portrait of a white gyr hunting falcon photographed on location in the Gulf of Arabia using a traditional portrait studio set up with a backdrop and lights. The colour of the bird indicates that it originated from colder, snowy climes.
The gyr (Falco rusticolus), the largest of the falcon species, is highly regarded in the sport of falconry. In medieval times, people considered them difficult to obtain, which generally meant that kings and other noblemen were the only ones that could use them. Partly because of their size, gyrfalcons are believed to have no real natural predator except for the golden eagle.