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Merlin Falco columbarius [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Accipitriformes
Family:
Falconidae
BTO Codes:
ML, MERLI
EURING No:
3090
Number in Britain:
1300 pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
Links to: Images
Videos
Sound
Status in UK:
(A) Migrant/Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
aesalon , subaesalon (W) recorded in Britain (of 9 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
28 cm
Wingspan:
56 cm
Weight:
M: 180 g F: 230 g
Scientific name from:
L.: falco =falcom (from falcis =sickle, ref hooked talons)
and L.: columba =a pigeon or dove + -arius =pertaining to
World Distribution:
BREEDS: n Eurasia, Canada & n US, WINTERS: south to n Africa, se Asia, n South America
Habitat:
Moor, heath, desert, open coniferous forest
Diet:
Mostly small birds, caught in open country, usually by pursuit low over ground
TitBit:
The Merlin was a popular falconers bird, particularly for ladies on account of its small size; it was still used into the 20th Century for lark-hawking
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Regional Trends:
No regional trends available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
1100 to 1500 pairs
in 1993-94
First Record:
12th Century
[Fossil evidence from
Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
Latest Survey:
Rebecca, G.W. & Bainbridge, I.P. (1998) Bird Study 45:172-187
Conservation Status:
AMBER
because
Recovery from Historical Decline,
Previous Assessments:
2002-2007
AMBER
1996-2001
RED
Races of Concern:
aesalon AMBER (Historical Decline) , subaesalon AMBER (European Concern)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
11 to 19 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I,IV), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), CITES(II)
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
41 x 31 mm
Egg Weight:
22.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
155
Clutch Size:
4 - 5 eggs
4.19 ± 0.71 (2 - 7) N = 1320
Incubation:
30 days
30.00 ± 0.92 (28 - 32) N = 1320
by the:
Female (occ. Male)
Fledging:
28 - 31days
28.87 ± 2.54 (24 - 32.5) N = 1787
as:
Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid:
6 May (27 Apr - 29 May)
Number of Broods:
1
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed:
669
Adult Survival:
0.620
± 0.110
Juvenile Survival:
0.230 (in First-Year)
Age at First Breeding:
1
year
Typical Lifespan:
3
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
12yr 8m
Biometrics
Ring Size:
D (males) E (females)
Wing Length
Adult:
221.6 ± 12.3
Range
198 - 236.5 mm, N =20
Juvenile:
218.5 ± 15.4
204 - 235 mm, N =41
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Weight
Adult:
229.3 ± 56.27
Range
148.0 - 342.5 g , N =20
Juvenile:
202.4 ± 34.02
144.0 - 255.0 g , N =39
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Mčirneal
Welsh:
Cudyll Bach
Danish:
Dvćrgfalk
Dutch:
Smelleken
Finnish:
Ampuhaukka
French:
Faucon émerillon
German:
Merlin
Hungarian:
Kis sólyom
Icelandic:
Smyrill
Irish:
Meirliún
Italian:
Smeriglio
Norwegian:
Dverfalk
Polish:
Drzemlik
Portuguese:
Esmerilhăo
Spanish:
Esmerejón
Swedish:
Stenfalk
Local Names: Stone Falcon
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Wright, P.M. 2005 Merlins of the south-east Yorkshire Dales Tarnmoor Publications, Skipton
[598.53 WRI]
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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