Hudson was transferred to the Wildlife Center in 2017 from another wildlife educator. Although Hudson’s full history is unknown, he was hatched in captivity, likely in 2005, and was used a falconry bird for a number of years before “retiring” as an education bird. In the wild, Gyrfalcons live in extreme Arctic and subarctic climates. They are very rare visitors to Virginia; a wild Gyrfalcon admitted to the Wildlife Center in 1984 is recognized as the first recorded appearance for the species in Virginia.
Hudson was named for Hudson Bay, a large body of water in the subarctic region of northern Canada. Gyrfalcons typically breed in the northern region of the Hudson Bay, and winter in the southern portion, where daily high temperatures average below 23 degrees Fahrenheit.