Merlin
Merlins are small falcons found in forests, prairies, and coastal areas across much of the northern hemisphere. They are smaller than city pigeons, and barely larger than blackbirds—but despite their modest dimensions, Merlins are gifted with great speed and maneuverability, which they put to use with deadly effectiveness, as they pursue and seize small songbirds and shorebirds.

The breeding range of Merlins is circumboreal, spanning high northern latitudes from Britain and Scandinavia across northeast Russia and Siberia to North America. They breed across most of Alaska and Canada, as well as Washington State, northern Idaho, and Montana. North American Merlins occupy a variety of forested and open-country habitats, depending on region. They are also becoming increasingly common in urban areas across North America.

One subspecies of Merlin (the black merlin, F. c. suckleyi) is mostly resident year-round in the Pacific Northwest, with only short southward movements in winter by those birds in the far northern portion of the subspecies’ range. Some prairie merlins (F. c. richardsonii) spend the winter on their breeding grounds in south-central Canada and the northern prairie states, but most migrate to the southern United States and Mexico for the winter. Taiga merlins of northern Canada and Alaska (F. c. columbarius) are completely migratory, spending their winters in the western United States, the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and Central and South America as far south as Ecuador.
Merlin Range Map

Merlins feed largely on small to medium-sized birds; a small proportion of the diet may sometimes also include mammals, insects, and reptiles. Research indicates that most breeding and resident Merlins specialize on one or two species of birds, especially those that forage in the open in abundant numbers. Merlins of the Great Plains feed mostly on Horned Larks, as well as sparrows, longspurs, and buntings; those that breed in cities tend to specialize on House Sparrows.

Merlins forage by scanning from high vantage points and making forays to pick off unwitting perched songbirds, or more often, to seize birds in mid-flight. Unlike Peregrine Falcons, Merlins rarely make steep, high-speed dives after prey, instead engaging in chases and shorter dives. Hunting attempts are successful about 30 to 40 percent of the time during the breeding season, and less often during migration and in winter.

The feeding habits of migrating and wintering Merlins are not well understood. Some early research showed that at least some migrating Merlins eat mostly insects. Merlins wintering in coastal areas take many small shorebirds, such as Least Sandpiper and Dunlin, as well as songbirds.

Merlins are mostly monogamous within individual breeding seasons, but often form new pairs from year to year. In the initial stages of pair formation, males perform spectacular display flights with flutters, rolls, dives, circles, figure-eights, and high soaring. Pair formation begins between February and April; egg-laying occurs in April or May.

Merlins do not build nests. Instead, they coopt old nests of crows, hawks, or magpies. They rarely use the same nest in consecutive years. Clutches usually consist of four eggs.

Eggshell specimens measured in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s in various locations were thinner and lighter than before 1946, apparently because of high levels of DDE (a metabolite of the organochlorine pesticide DDT). Most Merlin populations now show no effects from pesticide contamination, though even as recently as 1988, Merlin eggs collected from the Canadian prairie provinces showed pesticide levels that could affect reproductive success. Collisions and habitat loss may be the most significant factors negatively affecting Merlin populations, though numbers are growing regionally, especially in urban areas.

Description: Merlins are small falcons, with body lengths varying from 8 to 12 inches. Merlins are slightly larger than American Kestrels, the only other small falcon that occurs regularly in North America. Females are larger and about 25 percent heavier than males.

Adult males show varying shades of gray above, depending on region; black merlins are darkest, while prairie merlins are palest. Tail pattern also varies regionally, showing two or fewer contrasting dark-and-white bands in the Pacific Northwest, or as many as five such bands in interior areas. Breast is white with dark brownish streaks. Flanks and leg feathers may be rufous; legs are yellow (orange on breeding males). Face pattern is less defined than with most other falcon species. Crown is dark. Cheeks are finely streaked. Like other falcons, Merlins have large, dark eyes. Merlins also show an indistinct white eyebrow stripe. Females and first-year individuals of both sexes are brown above, with no rufous coloration.

Voice: A high-pitched “ki-ki-ki-ki-ki,” varying in rhythm and duration.


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