Merlin Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Size & shape: A small falcon, about 24–33 cm (9.5–13 in) long, noticeably bulkier and broader-winged than a kestrel but smaller than a Peregrine; pointed wings and a moderately long tail typical of falcons.
• Male: Blue-grey upperparts (in most North American and European populations) with rufous-streaked underparts and a narrow, often faint or barely-there facial moustache mark, unlike the bold moustache of most other falcons.
• Female/immature: Brown above (rather than blue-grey) with heavily streaked buffy underparts; larger than males, as in most falcons.
• Tail: Shows dark tail bands; male's tail often has a broad dark subterminal band and blue-grey base, female/immature tail is brown with paler bands.
• Flight: Extremely fast, low, and dashing — flies with quick, choppy wingbeats often just above ground or hedge level in pursuit of small birds, rarely soaring for long like a Peregrine or Red-tailed Hawk.
• Behavior: Often perches on exposed posts, wires, or low trees scanning open ground; direct, purposeful, level flight rather than the hovering behavior typical of American Kestrel.

Similar Species

• American Kestrel (Falco sparverius): Smaller and more colorful with rufous back and tail and bold facial pattern (two dark moustache stripes); frequently hovers, which Merlin rarely does.
• Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus): Much larger and bulkier with a bold black hood/moustache and typically hunts from high soaring flight or high-speed stoops, unlike Merlin's low-level dashing pursuit.
• Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus): Similar small dashing raptor silhouette but has rounded (not pointed) wings and a flap-flap-glide flight style versus the falcon's stiffer, more continuous wingbeats.

Where & When to See It

• Breeding range: Boreal forest, forest edge, and open taiga across northern North America, northern Europe, and northern Asia.
• Winter/non-breeding range: Much of temperate North America, Europe, and Asia; frequently found in open country, coastal marshes, agricultural fields, grasslands, and increasingly in cities and suburbs, where it hunts small birds around parks and feeders.
• Season: Northern breeders are migratory, moving south for winter (roughly September–April in much of the temperate zone); the species is increasingly noted as a winter/urban resident in many mid-latitude cities, where it preys on House Sparrows and other small birds.

Voice

• Generally quiet away from the nest; when vocal, gives a rapid, sharp, chattering "ki-ki-ki-ki" series, higher and more excited-sounding than a kestrel's similar call, typically heard near the nest site or when agitated.