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Merlin - (Falco columbarius) Identification
- Alternating dark and pale bands on tail
- Longitudinal streaked breast
- Very thin black vertical “mustache” below eye
- Males: bluish to pale grey
(“prairie” race is very pale grey) - Females and young: brown with banded tails
- Similar in size to a Jay, Kestrel, or Sharp-
shinned Hawk, - 12” (30cm)
Habitat
- Open country, shorelines, field edge,
farmland, forest openings
Additional Information
- Uncommon migrant, rare in winter
- Uses abandoned nest of other birds
- Sometimes hunts in pairs, where one
flushes, the other catches, - AKA: Pigeon Hawk
- Eats mostly small birds, but also larger insects
(i.e. dragonflies), small mammals
Comparable Species | |