Camera Critters: Merlin Falcon

One of the lesser known falcons in North America is the merlin. These small falcons, which are only slightly larger then the American kestrel, breed across most of Canada and Alaska. Most spend the winter in the western US, Florida, Mexico, Central America and down into the northern portions of South America. Here in Minnesota there are some merlins that will breed during the summer in the very northern portions of the state but mostly we see merlins during the migration.

I photographed this merlin last September at Park Point in Duluth. It most likely stopped by the park, which is a strip of land that extends into the southern portion of Lake Superior, to do some hunting before continuing its fall migration south. Merlins, like most of the larger falcons, are primarily bird hunters. They use a variety of different methods to hunt including ambush hunting from a discrete perch, low fly overs to flush prey, or stooping, diving, from high above. Their prey typically consists of small to medium size passerines which includes open country birds like sparrows, longspurs and larks as well as woodland birds like vireos, warblers, kinglets and thrush, depending upon the habitat in which they are found. They will supplement their diet with small rodents, lizards and large insects, such as dragonflies. Dragonflies are especially common for immature birds.