![]() ![]() richardsoni, are much lighter in color, with the lighter males being a very pale grey. Also, across continents and subspecies, juvenile birds look pretty similar to the adult females. However, within these general traits is a lot of variation from subspecies to subspecies and sex to sex.Īcross continents and subspecies, males are usually lighter in color, more grey-toned, and less heavily streaked than the darker, more brown-toned, and more heavily streaked females. They have a pale line over the eye, an indistinct malar (or mustache) mark, a solid dark back, a thick chest, a light-colored breast and belly with dark vertical streaking, relatively short wings as compared to other falcons, and a relatively long tail. Overall, Merlins are small, stocky, dark falcons. lymani breeds in the mountains of eastern Kazakhstan and the surrounding area. pallidus breeds in central Asia between the Aral Sea in the west and the Altay Mountains in the east. subasealon is found in Iceland and the Faroe Islands between Iceland and Great Britain. aesalon breeds in northern Eurasia from Great Britain to western Siberia. suckleyi is found along the Pacific coast of North America from Washington State to Alaska. richardsonii is found in the Great Plains in central North America. columbarius breeds in Canada and the northern United States of America to the east of the Rocky Mountains. The two groups may be on the verge of becoming two distinct species as they have been separated from each other for over a million years and likely have little to no gene flow between them. The other group has six subspecies that are all found in Eurasia (the last six listed below). One group has three subspecies that are all found in North America (the first three listed below). The Merlin, specifically, has nine subspecies that are divided into two groups. The females are commonly about ten percent larger and about thirty percent heavier than the males. Like many birds of prey, female and male birds are different in size - a trait that is particularly dramatic in the Falco genus. ![]() Another common hunting method of this genus is to perch on a tree, power pole, etc., and watch for prey which they then pursue in a high-speed tail-chase that can sometimes last for several minutes. They usually do not grab their prey at this point but rather strike it with closed feet to stun it. They then dive at high speed and strike their target in the air. The tomial tooth functions to dislocate the vertebra in the neck of their prey to quickly kill it.įalcons frequently hunt by flying high in the air and spotting their prey from above. This adaptation is a notch in the upper portion, or mandible, of the beak, and it is called a tomial. ![]() Members of the Falco genus are also distinguished by an unusual adaptation on their sharply hooked beaks. Falcons are characterized by fast flight (sometimes very fast!), very sharply pointed wingtips, and a preference for eating other birds, which they catch in flight. The Merlin (Falco columbarius) is a species within the genus Falco, which is a group of birds of prey that also include about 40 other species that are scattered all around the world. Aplomado Falcon Guide - August 31, 2022.Northern Goshawk Guide (Accipiter gentilis) - September 13, 2022.Short-Tailed Hawk Guide - October 13, 2022. ![]()
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