[On the origin of the name Girifalco, an Italian town in a hotspot of the autumn migration of soaring raptors]

Abstract

In this article, a hypothesis is suggested on the origin of the name Girifalco, a small town in the Calabrian Apennines (southern continental Italy), located along an important flyway of raptors migrating through the Central Mediterranean. In particular, the name could derive from the late ancient/medieval Latin terms gyro and falco, the circling hawk, which perfectly describes the flight of migrating birds of prey passing in late summer over the town, during the exploitation of thermal currents. There, large groups of migrating birds of prey can be observed circling right above "Pietra dei Monaci", the place where the first nucleus of the modern Calabrian town arose. [Article in Italian]

Keywords

• Albert the Great
• Falconry
• Frederick II of Hohenstaufen
• gyrfalcon
• soaring flight