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Fun Facts
Did You Know?
Merlins hunt small birds — sparrows, warblers, shorebirds, and whatever other species falls within the size range that a compact falcon can overpower. The hunting technique relies on speed and surprise rather than the high-altitude diving attack that peregrines use. A merlin attacks from a low perch or from level flight, closing distance with a burst of stiff, rapid wingbeats and overtaking the prey in a powered sprint that ends with a strike from the talons
If This Animal Could Talk...
"Watch closely, respect my space, and let my habitat explain the rest of the story."
Medieval noblewomen used merlins for falconry. Catherine the Great flew them. Mary Queen of Scots flew them. The birds were called "lady hawks" because their compact size and explosive speed made them ideal for the genteel sport of hunting skylarks from horseback across the Scottish moors. Falco columbarius has been partnering with humans for centuries, and the partnership worked beautifully because merlins possess a combination of speed, aggression, and fearlessness that exceeds what any bird this small should reasonably contain.
North Louisiana encounters merlins during the winter months — September through May, with the birds appearing on approximately 2 percent of eBird checklists filed during that period. A merlin perched on a dead snag at the edge of an agricultural field in Morehouse Parish during January does not look like much: a stocky, dark, streaky falcon about the size of a blue jay, smaller than a Cooper's hawk and considerably less conspicuous than the red-tailed hawk on the next utility pole.
A Few More Facts
How they hunt and forage: Small birds constitute the majority of the merlin diet — sparrows, warblers, shorebirds, and other species in the sparrow-to-dove size range. In North Louisiana during winter, savannah sparrows, song sparrows, yellow-rumped warblers, and house sparrows likely provide the bulk of the prey base, though merlins are opportunistic and will take whatever appropriately sized bird presents itself. Dragonflies and other large insects supplement the bird diet, particularly during late summer and early fall when young merlins fresh from the breeding grounds practice their hunting skills on easier targets before transitioning to the more challenging pursuit of birds. Small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians occasionally appear in the diet, but birds dominate the diet year-round in every season and at every latitude the species occupies.
Live birth or eggs? no
When young are born: Juvenile merlins occasionally migrate in loose groups during fall, sometimes traveling alongside sharp-shinned hawks through the same migration corridors.
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Accessibility
Accessibility
Merlins provide an uncommon but rewarding winter raptor encounter in North Louisiana. Finding a merlin requires scanning open habitats — agricultural fields, marsh edges, grasslands — for a small, stocky falcon perched on an elevated vantage point. For visitors who are blind or have low vision, merlins offer limited auditory detection — the species is generally silent during winter, rarely vocalizing away from the breeding grounds.
Visual detection depends on carefully scanning perch sites along field edges and open areas, and watching for the explosive flight burst that signals a hunting attack has begun. A sudden eruption of small birds from a field edge, followed by a compact falcon in rapid pursuit, identifies a merlin encounter even at distances where individual field marks on the falcon are not visible to the naked eye.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Merlins live in North Louisiana?
Yes. North Louisiana encounters merlins during the winter months — September through May, with the birds appearing on approximately 2 percent of eBird checklists filed during that period. North Louisiana's winter merlins are primarily the "Taiga" subspecies — the widespread form that breeds across northern boreal forests and migrates south through the eastern United States. The result — a sudden explosion of small birds scattering in every direction while the merlin banks, turns, and selects a target — is one of the most dramatic predator-prey interactions visible in North Louisiana's winter raptor community.
How do you identify Merlins?
Merlins are small, compact falcons — 10 to 13 inches long, with a wingspan of 20 to 26 inches and a weight of 4.5 to 8 ounces. Females are roughly 30 percent larger than males, following the reverse size dimorphism pattern that characterizes most raptor species. North Louisiana's winter merlins are primarily the "Taiga" subspecies — the widespread form that breeds across northern boreal forests and migrates south through the eastern United States. Adult male Taiga Merlins are slaty blue-gray above, with heavy dark streaking on buff-white underparts and a faint pale eyebrow. Females and immatures are brown above rather than gray, with the same heavy streaking below. Both sexes lack the bold facial "moustache" stripe that identifies peregrine falcons — merlins show a faint dark streak below the eye, but nothing as pronounced as the peregrine's signature mark.
What does Merlins eat?
Small birds constitute the majority of the merlin diet — sparrows, warblers, shorebirds, and other species in the sparrow-to-dove size range. In North Louisiana during winter, savannah sparrows, song sparrows, yellow-rumped warblers, and house sparrows likely provide the bulk of the prey base, though merlins are opportunistic and will take whatever appropriately sized bird presents itself
Is Merlins dangerous to people?
No. This species is not dangerous to people when it is observed without handling or disturbance
