During the nesting period, Falco columbarius become highly aggressive towards other raptors and crows in the area. Even in wooded areas, nests may be scrapes, but empty crow nests are preferred. In regions of sand dunes, dune grasses may be used to create a nest. In open country and grassland, nests are generally scrapes located in dense vegetation. Nesting pairs don't necessarily use the same actual site each year. Males arrive to the breeding area before the females, usually returning to the same general area year after year. The lower parts of young males and females are heavily marked with dusky coloration and the spotting is either faint or absent from the wings. The throat of males is streaked with black markings, while the lower body parts are brownish-black with chestnut and white markings. In males, the cere and feet turn reddish with age.įalco columbarius richardsoni (Richardson's merlins): Lighter overall coloration and the tail is marked by five dark and six white bands.įalco columbarius suckleyi (Black pigeon hawks): Darker in overall coloration than Falco columbarius columbarius. The tail is black with three white bars.įalco columbarius columbarius (American merlins): (see description of Falco columbarius). The neck is streaked with lighter brown and the tail is banded in yellow bars with a white tip.įalco columbarius bendirei (Bendire's merlins): Lighter in the upper parts than Falco columbarius columbarius. The beak is bluish horn the cere and feet are chromo yellow the claws are black and the iris is deep brown.įemales and young are similiar to males in their markings, but differ from males in coloration. The forehead and line above the eye is white. The sides of the head are buff with fine darker streakings. The underparts are cream to a rich buff with heavy longitudinally streaks of dark umber-brown or black coloration, except for the throat which is an unmarked white. The tail is barred by dark umber-brown or blackish bands and is tipped in white. Male merlins have slaty blue, purplish, or dark umber-brown upper parts, streaked with black from the crown to shoulders and back. Merlins rarely live in forested areas throughout much of their range, but frequently breed in coniferous forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Merlins favor open country, preferring grasslands, seashores, sand dunes, marshlands, steppes, and deserts. This subspecies winters in southern California, northern Mexico, and southern Texas.įalco columbarius suckleyi is found in the northwestern coastal regions from northern California to Sitka, Alaska. The summer range of Falco columbarius richardsoni includes the interior of western North America. This subspecies winters in the Gulf States, eastern Mexico, northern Venezuela, Ecuador, and the West Indies. richardsoni.įalco columbarius columbarius summers in eastern Canada, southward to Michigan and westward to the eastern border of the Great Plains. There are nine recognized subspecies worldwide, with three in North America: F. Merlins are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
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