Birds · Falconiformes · Falconidae
Falco columbarius
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The smallest falcon in Europe, compact and low-flying, fast and acrobatic. The male is blue-grey above with a black band at the tip of the tail; the female, noticeably larger, is brown. Its silhouette recalls that of the common kestrel.
Weight
130 g – 280 g
Size
26 cm – 34 cm
Life expectancy
15 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Estimated population
The European breeding population is estimated at between 40,100 and 83,400 mature individuals according to the 2021 European Red List of Birds. In Spain, the wintering population has been estimated at a few thousand individuals
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España) · IUCN Red List · Asturnatura · Lista Roja Europea de Aves 2021 · Warkentin et al. 2020, Birds of the World (Cornell Lab) · Sunyer y Viñuela 1990, Ardeola 37 · MITECO
Best time: From October to March in Spain, where it occurs only in winter
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 52.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Merlin — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Based on what we already know about merlin.
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
