{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "merlin",
  "name": "Merlin",
  "scientificName": "Falco columbarius",
  "category": "Bird",
  "summary": "The merlin (Falco columbarius) is a small, compact falcon that breeds across northern North America, Europe and Asia and hunts small birds in fast, low, twisting chases. Males are blue-grey above, females brown. It is 25–33 cm long and weighs about 190 g. It shares its name with Cornell Lab's Merlin Bird ID app. The species is listed as Least Concern.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Identification",
      "body": "Merlins are small, stocky falcons with pointed wings and a fairly long tail. Males are slate-blue above with orange-buff, streaked underparts; females and young are brown above and heavily streaked. They lack the bold 'moustache' of the peregrine."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Pursuit hunters",
      "body": "Merlins fly fast and low over open ground and chase small birds through every twist and turn, sometimes climbing high after a fleeing lark. They often hunt from a fence post or rock."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Range and migration",
      "body": "Merlins breed in moorland, tundra and open northern forest across North America, Europe and Asia. Many move south for the winter, to coasts and farmland, and as far as Central and South America and North Africa."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Status",
      "body": "BirdLife International lists the merlin as Least Concern (2021), estimating 250,000 to 3.2 million mature birds and a stable trend. In Britain it is a scarce breeding bird of upland moors."
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Is the merlin bird related to the Merlin app?",
      "answer": "Only by name. Merlin Bird ID is a free bird identification app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; the merlin is a small falcon."
    },
    {
      "question": "How big is a merlin?",
      "answer": "About 25–33 cm long with a wingspan of 60–68 cm, roughly the size of a large thrush."
    },
    {
      "question": "What do merlins eat?",
      "answer": "Mostly small birds such as meadow pipits, larks and finches, plus dragonflies and other large insects."
    },
    {
      "question": "Where does the name merlin come from?",
      "answer": "From the Old French 'esmerillon', a name for the bird, not from the wizard of Arthurian legend."
    }
  ],
  "sourceUpdate": null,
  "evidence": [],
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Aves",
    "order": "Falconiformes",
    "family": "Falconidae",
    "genus": "Falco"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.19,
    "lengthM": 0.33,
    "topSpeedKmh": 0,
    "lifespanYears": 3
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Falco columbarius"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Small birds such as pipits, larks and finches; large insects"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Moorland, tundra, open forest; coasts and farmland in winter"
    },
    {
      "label": "Size",
      "value": "25–33 cm long; wingspan 60–68 cm"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "About 190 g; females heavier"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "Typically 3 years; oldest ringed bird in Britain 12 years 8 months"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Breeds across northern North America, Europe and Asia; winters south to northern South America, North Africa and southern Asia.",
    "continents": [
      "North America",
      "Europe",
      "Asia",
      "South America",
      "Africa"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Merlin Falco columbarius. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.",
      "url": "https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/merlin-falco-columbarius"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web: Falco columbarius. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Falco_columbarius/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "BTO BirdFacts: Merlin. British Trust for Ornithology.",
      "url": "https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/merlin"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898",
      "url": null
    },
    {
      "citation": "Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.",
      "url": "https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/merlin/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/merlin/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}