Merlin, or pigeon hawk
The merlin, also known as the pigeon hawk, is a small but fierce member of the falcon family, distinguished for its bold hunting techniques and adaptability. Typically measuring between 9 1/2 to 13 inches in length, merlins have a wingspan ranging from 20 to 29 inches. They exhibit sexual dimorphism, with males showcasing slate-blue plumage and females adorned in brown, both featuring streaked white undersides. Primarily found in the Northern Hemisphere, merlins thrive in diverse habitats from open countryside to coastal areas.
As carnivores, their diet mainly consists of small birds, which they skillfully hunt using rapid surprise attacks. They are known for their unique hunting strategy called masked hunting, where they mimic the flight patterns of their prey. Breeding occurs between May and June, with females laying three to six eggs in nests that are either scraped on the ground or repurposed from larger birds. While merlins face minimal threats from humans, they are occasionally preyed upon by larger raptors. With a lifespan of about 7 to 10 years, merlins migrate seasonally, returning to breeding grounds in places like Alaska and Canada in the spring. Despite their predatory nature, merlins are not currently considered a threatened species.
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Merlin, or pigeon hawk
Like other raptors, or birds of prey, the merlin spends its days scanning the open countryside for small birds and other small animals to eat. Although it is a small member of the falcon family, a merlin is fierce and bold and attacks people or animals which comes too close to its nest. They are also called pigeon hawks, although they are not hawks. Merlins can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, although mainly in North America and northern South America.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco
Species: Columbarius
Merlins are only about 9 1/2 to 13 inches (24 to 33 centimeters) long and weigh 4 1/2 to 10 1/2 ounces (125 to 300 grams). Their wingspans range from 20 to 29 inches (50 to 73 centimeters). Male merlins have slate-blue plumage (feathering) on the crowns of their heads and on their backs. Their faces are pale and lightly streaked. Underside plumage is white and streaked with brown. Female merlins have brown plumage on their heads and backs but have brown-streaked, white undersides similar to the males'. Both males and females have yellow feet with deadly talons and darkly colored beaks which hook downward in sharp points.
In spite of their small size, merlins are not lacking in boldness or fierceness. A keen sense of vision in their large, round, black eyes enable them to see prey clearly as they hunt each day. Merlins are carnivores, or meat-eaters. Merlins feed chiefly on small birds such as songbirds and shorebirds. They typically rush at great speed from their low perches to pursue their prey. Quite often the surprise attack is enough to stop the prey, but if it is not, the merlins chase their prey and knock it to the ground. Some merlins have reportedly imitated the flight patterns of their prey to get closer to the birds without being noticed. This is called masked hunting. Frequently, the merlins remove the birds' heads first before eating the rest of the birds. Merlins also seize voles, lemmings, shrews, and bats, as well as larger insects such as beetles, dragonflies, and butterflies. This prey they catch while gliding about three feet (one meter) above the ground on their narrow, pointed wings. They rarely soar as do many other birds of prey.
Mating season begins early in May and continues through June. The merlins either scrape out a hollow nest hole on the ground or a cliff ledge, or they occupy the abandoned tree nest of a large bird. Over the period of several days, the female lays three to six tan, reddish-brown, spotted eggs. She incubates them mostly by herself for one month, while her mate supplies her with food. After nearly one month the chicks able to fledge, or fly for the first time. When they turn two months old, they are independent. Males and feamles are able to mate after they are one year old. After their young leave the nest, the male and female merlin remain together only through the rest of the breeding season or until the end of winter at the latest. During the rest of the year they live alone.
Merlins do not appear to face any great and immediate danger from predators or people. However, larger raptors and hawks may prey on merlins. The life span of a merlin may range between seven and 10 years.
During the winter, merlins live along the west coast of the United States from Washington south through Central America to the northwestern coast of South America. In the old world, merlins inhabit the open country, farmlands, open valleys, marshes, and coastal dunes of Europe, the Middle East, western and northernmost Africa, and China. Spring brings the migration of merlins to Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the Scandinavian countries, and northern Asia.
Merlins are not a threatened species.
Bibliography
Kravtchenko, Viktor. “Merlin - Facts, Diet, Habitat, & Pictures on Animalia.bio.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/merlin. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Polan, Jason. “Merlin - Audubon Field Guide.” National Audubon Society, 2024, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/merlin. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.