Montana Field Guide

Males are blue-gray to dark blue above and pale rufous to buff-colored below, with dark streaking or barring. Females are brown above and cream to rufous below with darker streaking. The tail is barred dark with gray to white and exhibits a dark sub-terminal band. The eye is dark brown, and feet are yellow. Juveniles of both sexes resemble females, but are sometimes darker. Merlins are from 10-12 inches in length, and have wingspans of 19-24 inches. Females are slightly larger than males (FWP). A small falcon with pointed wings, a strongly barred tail, a hooked bill, and heavy streaking below; upperparts are gray-blue in males, dark brown in females; overall, plumage is much darker in the Pacific Northwest than in central Canada and the Midwest; average length 31 cm, wingspan 64 cm (NGS 1983).

Merlins are significantly smaller than gyrfalcons, prairie falcons, and peregrine falcons. both sexes are more uniform in color than the brightly colored american kestrel. immature merlins resemble immature sharp-shinned hawks, but have pointed wings and dark eyes, instead of the short, rounded wings and yellow eyes of the sharp-shin (fwp). differs from american kestrel, prairie falcon, and peregrine falcon in lacking a strong facial pattern. differs from kestrel also in lacking russet back and tail. only about half as big as a gyrfalcon (average length 31 cm vs. 51-64 cm).

Prob. bendirei & richardsonii migr. thru MT. Boz.: birds appear 10/1-11/15, disappear 3/1-15 (Skaar 1969).

Breeding pairs in eastern Montana usually use sparse conifer stands adjacent to prairie habitats, but sometimes use shelterbelts and river bottom forests. In western Montana, they use open stands of conifers and river bottom forests. Merlins sometimes nest in urban areas (FWP). In the Bozeman area it is found in the Gallatin Valley, not far from wooded areas (Skaar 1969).

Merlins primarily eat small birds. In eastern Montana, common prey includes grassland birds such as horned larks, vesper sparrows, and lark buntings. In western Montana, prey includes various sparrows, finches and waxwings. Young merlins often take larger insects such as grasshoppers and moths.

The 1944 raptor survey of MT showed this species to be the least abundant raptor in the state (Davis 1961). Said to be formerly uncommon, now rare in the Fortine area.

Male merlins arrive at nesting areas in late March and early April, and females arrive slightly later. They use nests previously constructed by black-billed magpies or common crows; merlins, like other falcons, do not build their own nests. Clutches of three to five eggs are laid from mid April to early June, and are incubated for about 30 days. The young fly when about 40 days old, but they remain near their nests to live to be about eight years old (FWP). Used old corvid nests in MT (Ellis, Condor). Nesting dates probably similar to those of Alberta and Saskatchewan, where egg records are from May 7-Jun 6 (Johnsgard 1986).