Birds · Falconiformes · Falconidae

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

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

Lifespan

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.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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

Carnivore Diurnal In pairs Bird

69countries 52parks10same family

Fun facts

alimentaciónIt is one of the smallest falcons in Europe, taking small birds in flight in fast, agile low-level chases.
It builds no nest: it takes over abandoned nests of crows and other raptors, or scrapes a simple hollow in the heather.
On its autumn migration it can cover more than 5,000 km from northern Europe to the south of the continent.
First-year birds, especially males, sometimes act as 'nest helpers' to an adult pair.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Open, unobstructed country: cereal plains, moorland, sparsely vegetated steppe and marshy ground. It breeds in the taiga and tundra of northern Eurasia and North America
Birth weight: The chicks weigh about 13 g at hatching
Gestation / incubation: 28-32 days, mostly by the female while the male hunts. The chicks fledge about 30 days later and depend on their parents for another 4 weeks
Litter / clutch size: 3-5 pale buff eggs heavily speckled with reddish brown, laid between late April and early June

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