This fantastic wetland site is located north of Southport town centre and has some of the best wildlife in the region. It feeds chiefly on small birds caught in open country, though small mammals and insects are often important. Although much persecuted in the past by gamekeepers, merlins rarely take gamebirds. The merlin hunts by perching in an elevated position to locate prey, usually on rocks or tree stumps, but it has also been recorded making use of grazing sheep!
Once prey is sighted, it is usually caught after a short distance surprise attack, following a low flight from the perch. Other hunting techniques include prolonged persistent chasing and vertical stooping. A mated pair frequently hunt co-operatively. Prey is usually caught in the air close to or on the ground. Only a small proportion of hunts are successful, with success rate varying with hunting method and prey.
Prey is plucked and decapitated before being brought to the nest. Your support helps secure a future for birds at risk. Our email newsletter shares the latest programs and initiatives. A rather small falcon, compact and fast-flying, the Merlin is a common breeder across the northern forests of North America and Eurasia. It feeds mostly on small birds, capturing them in mid-air in rapid pursuit. The Merlin is generally found in wild places, but since about it has become a common urban bird in several towns on the northern prairies; there it nests and remains to winter, relying on a steady supply of House Sparrows as prey.
Photo gallery. Feeding Behavior Does most hunting by watching from a perch, then flying out to capture prey in the air. Eggs , sometimes Young Female remains with young most of time, brooding them when they are small. Diet Mostly small birds.
Nesting In courtship, male performs spectacular flight displays, with steep dives, strong twisting flight, glides, rolling from side to side, fluttering with shallow wingbeats. Climate threats facing the Merlin Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases.
Merlin In the News More News. More News. Look Up! An Introduction to Identifying Raptors in Flight Birding When hawks and falcons stream across the sky in large numbers, you need a distinct set of birding skills to tell them apart. Explore Similar Birds. In spring, males precede females. The migration patterns of the three North American subspecies differ considerably. Taiga Merlins are complete migrants. Each autumn, almost all members of this subspecies leave their breeding grounds and migrate to their wintering grounds in the western and southeastern United States, and the West Indies, Mexico, Central and northern South America.
Black Merlins are typically sedentary. Only individuals breeding at the northernmost part of the subspecies range travel south, and these individuals generally overwinter within southern parts of the subspecies breeding range. Prairie Merlins are partial migrants.
Many migrate to the southern United States and in Central America, but others, particularly individuals breeding in urban areas, where songbird prey are common in winter, remain on their breeding grounds. The average count for the past ten years is The peak of the Merlin flight at the Sanctuary occurs in early October. The current world population of Merlins is between one-hundred thousand and one million birds. In the s Merlins declined in parts of their range as a result of persecution.
The species suffered more serious declines in the s, s, and s due to the widespread use of organ chlorine pesticides including DDT. Following bans on the widespread use of DDT in , Merlin numbers began to increase in the s and have continued to do so since. The species has experienced declines in some areas due to habitat loss and human disturbance. The species now breeds both in urban areas in the northern United States and in southern Canada. Urban areas are favorable breeding locations because they afford safe nest sites and abundant songbird prey.
Hawks in flight. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. AND D. Raptors of the World. Hawks, eagles, and falcons of North America.
Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D. Merlin Falco columbarius. Poole and F. Gill, Eds. The Birds of North America, Inc. North American birds of prey. Raptors of eastern North America. A photographic guide to North American raptors. Academic Press, San Diego, California. Bent, A. Life histories of North American birds of prey. New York: Dover.
These birds live in a variety of different habitat types. Their favorite habitats are those with large expanses of open area. They prefer open habitats to forests primarily because they prefer pursuing prey in the air. Some of the different ecosystems that they thrive in include grasslands, meadows, marshes, deserts, coastlines, and steppes. They do use forested areas while breeding, and usually choose coniferous, or pine, forest.
Because they migrate seasonally, Merlins have an exceptionally large range. During the spring and summer, they live in northern regions, and during the winter they migrate south. In Eurasia, they live primarily in Russia and northern portions of Europe during the summer, and migrate south over the winter. Like all falcons , these birds are carnivores and only eat meat.
Their favorite prey is small species of birds, which they usually catch while flying. In fact, the vast majority of their diet consists of birds. Some of their most common prey items include sparrows, ptarmigans , finches , larks, grouse , and more.
They also hunt for insects, lizards , frogs , mice, rats, rabbits , and other small animals.
0コメント