Merlin

    Falco columbarius

Castilian: Esmerejón

Catalan: Esmerla

Gallego: Esmerillón

Euskera: Belatz txikia

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Falconiformes

Family: Falconidae

Migratory status: Winter resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

Pesticides which cause poisoning, a reduced food supply and illegal hunting.

Length / size: 26-33 cm / 55-69 cm

Identification: It is the smallest falcon in Europe. It has short wings that are wide at the base and presents marked sexual dimorphism. The male's upper body is bluish-grey and reddish and mottled on bottom; the female is dominated by brown tones on her back and light colours on her belly.

Song: Silent, but it makes a "kee keekee" alarm call.

Diet: It feeds on small birds that it hunts while flying at low altitudes, such as goldfinches, larks, pipits, linnets...; females are larger and can hunt larger birds, such as magpies. It can also catch insects and micromammals.

Reproduction: It generally nests on the ground, on land with a considerable amount of vegetation (such as heathers). The nest is a small hole in the ground covered with stalks and other materials. From late April to early June the eggs are laid, and later the female is the one that is responsible for their incubation.

HABITAT

It occupies open areas with few trees, like grain farms, wetlands, scrubland and meadows.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is found in the Northern and Southern Plateaus and in the Ebro Valley.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the grain-producing countrysides of the northern and southern parts of the River Duero (Tierra de Campos, Tierra de Medina, La Moraña, Campo de Peñarada) and in the areas surrounding steppe lakes, such as Villafáfila (Zamora).

Movements and migrations: It is a migratory species. Scandinavian specimens begin to reach the peninsula to winter in August. Between February and mid-April, they return to their breeding areas.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is no precise information, although there is an estimated population of several thousand wintering specimens.

In Castile and León: