Brown falcon vs Merlin
The brown falcon is heavier: 587 g against 188.5 g for the merlin, about 3.1 times the weight.
Photo: jjron · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Just a Prairie Boy from Calgary, AB, Canada · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a brown falcon and a merlin?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- The brown falcon is heavier: 587 g against 188.5 g for the merlin, about 3.1 times the weight.
- The brown falcon is longer-lived: 13.3 years against 12.5 years for the merlin, about 6% longer.
- Both belong to the genus Falco, so they are close relatives.
- Both are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Side by side
| Brown falcon | Merlin | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Falco berigora | Falco columbarius |
| Family | Falconidae | Falconidae |
| Order | Falconiformes | Falconiformes |
| Weight | 501.8 g – 681.4 g | 162 g – 212 g |
| Length | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 13.3 years | 12.5 years |
| Main food | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Habitat | woodland | woodland |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | 1 | Not recorded |
A scale drawing needs a recorded length for both animals; only weights are on record for this pair.
Full record: Brown falconFull record: MerlinCompare other animals