Merlin

Falco columbarius

A compact falcon of northern moorland and open country, known for rapid wingbeats and low chases after small birds.

Key facts

Merlin (Falco columbarius) is a carnivore animal classified as Bird · Falconiformes · Falconidae.
Primary habitats are grassland · polar · coast, with a range across Nearctic · Palearctic · Afrotropical.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is solitary, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A compact falcon of northern moorland and open country, known for rapid wingbeats and low chases after small birds.
Breeds in tundra, heath, bogs, coastal grassland, and farmland, using open lowlands during migration and winter.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Breeds in tundra, heath, bogs, coastal grassland, and farmland, using open lowlands during migration and winter.

Males are blue-gray above with pale underparts; females and juveniles are browner and streaked. The body is small and the wings pointed.

It flies low and fast, flushing and pursuing small birds from perches or the ground in short chases.

Small birds such as larks, shorebirds, and sparrows dominate, with large insects and small mammals taken occasionally.

Nesting can occur on the ground, in low cover, or in old crow nests. Northern populations migrate long distances.

The species remains low-risk globally, but breeding moorland management and winter farmland conditions shape local numbers.