Are they endangered?
No, it is not endangered worldwide. (IUCN Red list: Least
concern)
What are their
past/present problems?
The biggest problems for Merlins are people clearing the land
where they have their nests and flying into buildings.
What do they look
like?
Males are a bluish-gray color overall with lines of black and
brown going through their white front side.
Their bellies look like they are beige with brown spots.
They have pale yellow eyes and legs. The females have more
brown and are less colorful.
How
big are they?
They are about a foot long. If they opened their wings as far as
they could, the Merlin would be about 2 feet wide.
How many eggs do they
lay?
Females lay from 3 to 6 white eggs once a year. The eggs hatch
in a month.
How long do the
fledglings stay in the nest?
Merlins only add things to old nests from other birds. The
young birds leave the nest in about 25-35 days.
When do they hunt?
Merlins hunt during the day. (diurnal)
What do they eat?
They like to eat insects, small birds, and
Where do they live?
They live in the Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean Islands,
Africa, South America, and North America.
What kind of place do
they like to live in?
Merlins like open areas, farm fields, valleys, and wetlands.
Interesting facts:
Sometimes Merlins fly like their bird prey so that they
won’t be recognized until it’s too late.
Merlins perch kind of low to the ground and attack prey
quickly. The knock the prey onto the ground to capture
it.
They will attack humans that get too close to their
nests.
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Works Cited:
Alsop, Fred. Birds of North America. New York: DK
Publishing, 2001.
