Merlins are rare or uncommon migrants in all Klamath Network parks except for Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve.Sea level: 845 to 482 kN (190,000 to 108,300 lbf) (57%) Though merlins still carry some DDE (a derivative of DDT) load, their populations have largely recovered and are expanding into urban areas. Like the peregrine falcon and other raptors, merlin populations crashed during the 1960s DDT era from organochlorine-based contamination. Fun FactĬatherine the Great and Mary Queen of Scots sport hunted with merlins in Europe. Nestlings fledge after about a month, and then spend the next several weeks near the nest, dependent on the adults. Males guard the nest vigilantly, especially against corvid predators (crows and jays). She incubates them with some help from the male for about 30 days until hatching. The female lays a clutch of 3–6 short, elliptical eggs with reddish-brown markings. They typically use old corvid or hawk nests in trees. To initiate copulation, a male or female may bow, spread its tail, and utter a soft vocalization, similar to the peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus). Courtship involves elaborate flight displays, including steep dives, rolling from side to side, and wing fluttering. Most North American subspecies are migratory to some degree and return to their breeding grounds in the northern US and Canada by March–April. Merlins breed at two years old, though some start as yearlings. (Fledgling merlins are especially fond of dragonflies.) Reproduction They hunt small rodents, reptiles, and bats, and also catch insects. If unsuccessful on the first attack, the merlin may keep after its prey with a series of short stoops, known as “tail-chasing.” Other times, the merlin and prey may circle higher and higher in a chase known as “ringing flights.” Merlin pairs have been observed to hunt cooperatively, where one flies towards a flock of birds to flush them into the other’s line of attack.They may also take nestling birds directly from the nest.ĭepending on conditions, birds are not the only prey for this agile flyer. House sparrows ( Passer domesticus) are frequent prey in urban areas.Ī common foraging strategy is to scan for prey from a perch and then launch a short, fast flight to catch it in mid-air. Merlins hunt small to medium-sized birds such as sparrows, waxwings, larks, and small shorebirds, like the least sandpiper ( Calidris minutilla). Merlins have increasingly occupied urban sites in Canada and northern US, presumably drawn to the plentiful songbird supply. Wintering habitat may include more open areas, such as grasslands, coastal marshes, and tidal flats, where merlins hunt small shorebirds. This provides trees for nesting and open areas for hunting. All three North American subspecies may be seen during the winter or migration in the western US, though the taiga subspecies ( Falco columbarius columbarius) is the most likely to be seen in southern Oregon and northern California.īreeding habitat, predominantly in the northern, colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere, is typically open forest and woodland. Merlins are divided into 10 subspecies across North America and Eurasia. Note the long, banded tail and pointed wings.įrank D Lospalluto CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
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