Merlin

The Merlin is a compact, powerfully built falcon breeding across boreal forest edge, moorland, and tundra of the Northern Hemisphere, wintering in more temperate open country, coastlines, and marshes. It is known for direct, fast flapping flight low over the ground while pursuing small birds, rather than the soaring habits of larger raptors.

Male back and crown feathers are slate-blue gray with dark tail bands, while female and juvenile feathers are dark brown above, both showing buffy underparts heavily marked with dark streaking rather than barring. The facial pattern is subtle, lacking the bold malar stripe of Peregrine Falcon, giving a plainer-faced appearance. Tail feathers show several narrow bands, and the compact, evenly proportioned wings reflect this falcon's low, fast pursuit flight style rather than soaring.

Adult males are blue-gray above with black tail bands and underparts variably washed rufous depending on subspecies, while females and juveniles are brown above and heavily streaked below. The facial pattern is comparatively plain compared to other falcons, without a bold, contrasting moustache stripe. Subspecies across the wide range show some variation in overall tone, from pale tundra populations to darker coastal ones.

Merlins breed in open moorland, boreal forest edge, and tundra across northern North America and Eurasia, wintering in open country, coastal areas, and marshes across temperate latitudes. Northern-breeding populations are long-distance migrants, while some southern and coastal populations show more limited seasonal movement.

It hunts small birds using fast, low-level pursuit flight with direct, powerful wingbeats rather than soaring. Nests are often old crow or other raptor nests reused in low trees, or on the ground in open tundra habitat, and the species gives sharp, chattering calls, especially near the nest.