Merlin
Falco columbarius
Falco columbarius 3
A medium-sized (10-13 ½ inches) falcon, the Merlin is most easily identified by its size, brown-streaked breast, and black tail bands. Other field marks include dark “moustaches” on the face, dark eyes, and yellow legs. Male Merlins have slate-gray backs, while females are larger and have dark brown backs. The Merlin is widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, three distinct populations of Merlin occur: a darker-plumaged subspecies inhabiting the Pacific Northwest, a paler-plumaged subspecies inhabiting the northern Great Plains, and an intermediate subspecies breeding primarily in Alaska and Canada. The first two subspecies are mostly non-migratory, while the third subspecies migrates south to the western United States, the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the eastern U.S., and south into the tropics as far as northern South America. In the Old World, this species breeds from Iceland across to Siberia, wintering as far south as North Africa and tropical Asia. Merlins breed in open areas, including forest edges, tundra, coasts, and islands. This species utilizes similar habitats in winter as in summer, but may also enter urban areas if prey is available. Merlins primarily eat small birds, which they capture either from the ground or in the air. Due to this species’ preference for open habitat, Merlins may be most easily seen perching in prominent locations or while flying in pursuit of prey. Merlins may also hunt small shorebirds, flying close to the ground in order to surprise its prey. This species is primarily active during the day.
Conservation status 4
Falco columbarius is widely distributed, but nowhere common. With expanding human development, the breeding habitats and hunting grounds of these falcons are being destroyed rapidly. This species is listed as threatened in the state of Michigan.
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: appendix ii
State of Michigan List: threatened
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Habitat 5
Merlins favor open country, preferring grasslands, seashores, sand dunes, marshlands, steppes, and deserts. Merlins rarely live in forested areas throughout much of their range, but frequently breed in coniferous forests of the Northern Hemisphere.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: taiga ; desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; chaparral
Aquatic Biomes: coastal
Wetlands: marsh
Sources and Credits
- (c) BJ Stacey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/finaticphotography/8168072003/
- (c) Raj Boora from Edmonton, Canada, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Falco_columbarius_Male.jpg/460px-Falco_columbarius_Male.jpg
- Adapted by Natalie LaScala from a work by (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34818328
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31394605
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31394597
