Merlin - Falco columbarius

Description

• Slate or brown above, with a long banded tail, light and streaked below
• No moustache markings unlike the other falcons

Size

• Length: 10-14" (25-35 cm)
• Wingspan: 23" (.6 m)

Range

• Open woodlands and groves near coniferous forests
• Alaska, MacKenzie and Labrador south to Nova Scotia, Michigan and Orego
• Winters in British Columbia and Newfoundland to Northern South America

Diet

• Small birds
• Occasionally, small rodents, insects and lizards

Voice

• Usually silent
• When nesting area is disturbed ,"Klee, Klee" similar to an American Kestrel

Nesting

• Nest made of sticks or tree cavity or abandoned nest 15-35 ft above ground
• Lay 4-5 pale rusty eggs with brown or purple spotting
• Eggs incubate for 28-32 days
• Fledgelings leave the nest at 25-30 days after hatching

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The above second photograph is used with kind permission of the Hawk Conservancy. For more information on these and many more raptorial species, captive breeding programs, and conservation programs, please visit their site.

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