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6

Merlin (Falco columbarius) Alternate name(s): (Many for different races) German name(s): "Merlin" Size: 24-33 cm; wing span 50-73 cm Weight: 125-210 g (male), 190-300 g (female)

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Merlins are small birds of prey. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Male Merlins have a slate-grey crown and back, with sparse darker grey streaking. The front is off-white to creamy, with distinctive rufous hues, also with dark rufous-grey streaks. The cheeks are streaked in shades of grey. The tail is grey, with light-grey undertail coverts. Females have a dark brownish-grey crown and a scalloped dark brownish-grey back. The light-grey front is boldly barred, the sides and flanks have bold chevrons in darker grey-brown. While many species of falcons have a single "tear drop" (or "moustache") pattern on the cheeks, female Merlins have a second, on the ear coverts. Both sexes have inconspicuous light-grey supercilia and a light-grey to white chin patch. Both also have a black subterminal band and a thin white terminal band on the uppertail. The irises of both sexes are dark. The strongly hooked bill is light-grey, with a dark-grey tip. The legs and feet are yellow. Juvenile birds resemble females, but with boldly barred wing and tail feathers.

Taxonomy, classification See Merlin at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Merlin is available HERE . There are many races of Merlins, which populate parts of all continents in the northern hemisphere, i.e. North America, Europe and Asia; the detailed distribution and range of Merlins is complex (see, e.g., Wikipedia ). There are two groups of races, the American group and the Eurasian group. The 3 members of the American group are nominate race "columbarius" (the Taiga Merlin or Tundra Merlin), race "richardsonii" (the Prairie Merlin) and race "suckleyi" (the Coastal Forest Merlin or Black Merlin). The Eurasian group comprises 6 races: Race "aesalon aesalon" is by far the most widespread, breeding from the British Isles via most of Scandinavia eastward into central Siberia. This race spends the northern winter in most of Europe, north-western Africa, Asia Minor, parts of the Middle East and farther to the East into Iran. The other continental Asian races are "aesalon pallidus", "aesalon insignis", "aesalon lymani" and "aesalon pacificus". Race "aesalon subaesalon" occurs only on the Faroe Islands and on Iceland. In Europe Merlins, race "aesalon aesalon", are permanent residents in near-coastal areas of Ireland and central England to northern Scotland. This population may only leave highlands in winter. Migratory birds spend the winters in the southern parts of the British Isles. In the summer the migratory continental European population breeds in central to northern Scandinavia and eastwards, from the Baltic states into European Russia (and beyond), northward of about 55 degrees latitude. They spend the northern winters in central Europe and in the Mediterranean, but outside the mountain ranges (Alps, Pyreenees, Appennin, but also the karst to the East of the Adriatic Sea). Merlins have a preference for relatively open country with scattered trees. During migration, but also while wintering, basically any relatively open landscape will do, from desert to arable land, as long as there are some kind of suitable perches. During the breeding season grassland, heath, taiga, tundra, paddocks with scattered trees etc. are preferred, which provide richer hunting grounds and suitable nest sites.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "aesalon aesalon" A. Sarok reports spotting a Merlin, race "aesalon aesalon", near Novi Becej, Serbia, in January 2014. J. Pires reports spotting Merlins, race "aesalon aesalon", occasionally in the area from the Tejo estuary to Mora, Evora, Portugal, where they are winter visitors.

Photos

Race "aesalon aesalon"

ADULT

MALE

Lateral view of an adult male Merlin (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Near Novi Becej, Serbia, January 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a male Merlin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, March 2019]

FEMALE

Lateral view of an adult female Merlin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2016]

Near-dorsal view of a female Merlin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a female Merlin with its tail fanned (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2020]

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