# Merlin (*Falco columbarius*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/merlin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The merlin (Falco columbarius) is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae, subfamily Falconinae, and order Falconiformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass from 162 to 212 g and a wingspan from 50 to 70 cm. The merlin is a migratory, aerial carnivore of woodland habitat, with a geographic range of 26,330,000 km². It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 162 g – 212 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 50 cm – 70 cm |
| Lifespan | 12.5 years – 16 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | woodland |
| Egg incubation | 30 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4 – 4.5 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months – 17.9 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aerial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Falconiformes
- family: Falconidae
- genus: Falco
- species: *Falco columbarius* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Falco colombarius*, *Falco lapidarius*, *Falco lithofalco*, *Falco smitellus*, *Falco temerarius*, *Hierax caesius*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a merlin?

The merlin is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae and genus Falco.

### How big is a merlin?

The merlin is a small bird with an adult body mass from 162 to 212 g and a wingspan from 50 to 70 cm.

### What does a merlin eat?

The merlin is a carnivore.

### Is the merlin endangered?

No. The merlin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a merlin live?

The merlin has a lifespan of 12.5 years, with values up to 16 years reported.

### How many eggs does a merlin lay?

The merlin has a clutch size of 4.5 eggs and one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 30 days.

### Who named the merlin?

The merlin was named Falco columbarius by Linnaeus, 1758.

### What are other names for the merlin?

Other English names for the merlin are Pigeon hawk, Bullet hawk, Pigeon falcon, Le Petit Caporal and Little blue Corporal.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Merlin (Falco columbarius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/merlin