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Hybridisation is a comparatively recent development in falconry. The hybrid is created by artificially inseminating one species with another or successfully pairing two different species together in a breeding chamber.

The Gyr is favourably used because this species has been at the pinnacle of falconry ever since the Middle Ages. European kings would send teams of trappers to Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia and in particular Iceland and Greenland in search of this Arctic falcon.

They were driven by the desire for a status symbol, as this is the world’s largest falcon which ranges in colour from jet black to almost pure white. Gyrs are powerful and fast, preferring a hard tail-chase to a stoop. In the wild, they take a wide range of quarry, from ptarmigan and sea birds to lemmings and arctic hares.

The Saker Falcon is also a large species, however, it is better suited to semi desert habitats. Many rich middle eastern falconers particularly favour the Gyr x Saker cross as it produces a very large strong flying falcon, capable of taking larger quarry off the fist. The Gyr, being an arctic falcon, is not suited to the hot arid desert hence the reason for crossing it with the Saker Falcon.