USAFA Falconry [Image 4 of 12]

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES

07.11.2019

Photo by Joshua Armstrong 

U.S. Air Force Academy

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Aurora is the Academy’s official and oldest mascot. She is a White Phase Gyrfalcon, a falcon species that is extremely rare in the wild. To give context of their rarity, three percent of all falcons are gyrfalcons, and only one percent of that three percent are white. Gyrfalcons are the largest falcon species, and Aurora weighs in at 3.5 pounds. She does not perform at football games, but she does occasionally fly for exercise at the Academy’s athletic fields. The falconry program has been a tradition held since the beginning of the United States Air Force Academy in 1955. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joshua Armstrong)

• Date Taken: 07.11.2019
• Date Posted: 07.18.2019 11:37
• Photo ID: 5590526
• VIRIN: 190711-F-NH566-0012
• Resolution: 5269x3517
• Size: 3.95 MB
• Location: COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US