This particular specimen was collected in Minneapolis in 1874 by Dr. Hatch. It was reported in 1936 in the classic Birds of Minnesota written by Thomas Sadler Roberts. The specimen was exhibited at the Minnesota Academy of Sciences, which became the Museum of the Minneapolis Public Library. Gyrfalcons now descend in very small numbers each winter from the Arctic to mostly northern Minnesota. Individuals can be white, gray, or blackish.

I recognize this specimen to be of significant historical interest because it was the first specimen of the species recorded in Minnesota; it is also one of the oldest bird specimens in the Science Museum collections.