Resident Raptor - Merlin

Ajkataku & Ciaran

Guinevere & Ajkataku Ajkataku The smaller bird with a gray back (a male) hit a window at a Valley River Center office building in October 1997 as a 'passage' or juvenile bird on his first migration. He is blind in the right eye. Sponsor Ajkataku

Ciaran This adult male merlin was found injured in Hood River, Oregon, in late March 2011. He had a dislocated radius at the elbow, and a fractured ulna very close to the elbow, on the right wing. It proved impossible to maintain the radius in position as the ulna healed - leaving him unable to fly well. He probably hit a window or a wire while chasing a small bird, their typical prey. He is a 'black' merlin, of the Pacific Northwest subspecies sukleyi.

arwen Arwen This adult female merlin was confiscated from a center that had closed, where she had been being held without a permit for a couple of years. We have no history on her and have chosen not to put her through the stress of an x-ray to determine the cause of her disability, since it is beyond fixing at this point. However, from the way she holds her right wing tip up, there is undoubtedly an old shoulder injury. Her light color reflects her sub-species: richardsonii - normally found in the mid-west but all three subspecies do overlap in the west. She was found in Montana and transferred to CRC in the fall of 2009.

Arwen died suddenly in mid-February 2011 after, we surmise, a scare in the night caused her to collide with something in her cage, causing chest bruising and spinal trauma. Perhaps a raccoon climbed on the cage or a large owl frightened her, but she was found in the early morning unable to balance or walk well; during the course of the day, the neurological signs progressed to the point where she could not move her legs at all. We are still not sure why that led to death, despite supportive care, but there could have been bleeding into the brain or lungs. The facility is sadly quiet without her calls!

Guinevere The larger bird with a brown back (female) was found in a yard in November 1996 with a fractured right wing (both radius and ulna) - probably from hitting a window, wire, or car. The wing did not heal sufficiently for flight, and she was transferred here from the WSU Vet School in September 1997.

Guinevere, at least 14 years of age, died in early January 2011 after bilateral cataracts restricted her vision and ability to get around her enclosure. She also suffered from both atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, and diabetes, due to her age. The diabetes is the likely cause of the cataracts, which developed very suddenly. She will be missed.

Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Courtesy of Barbara Gleason Slightly larger than the American Kestrel, the Merlin is much more aggressive in behavior and more powerful in flight than its smaller falcon cousin. Females are larger, as with most birds of prey. Plumage differs between the sexes: adult males are gray-blue above, females are dark brown. Under parts are a pale rufous-red, with dark brown streaks and spots. Legs are yellow; the wings are short, pointed, and angular; the tail is dark with many thin whitish bands; the head has a dark crown, and a much fainter mustache mark than seen on other falcons. In flight, the Merlin can be distinguished from the American Kestrel by its darker underparts and longer, broader wing shape; the barred tail of the Merlin distinguishes it in flight from its larger falcon relatives, the Prairie and Peregrine Falcons. Merlins tend to fly rapidly in a direct line from one spot to another with short, fast, continuous wing beats. These feisty birds will aggressively harass other raptors who come into their territory.

Notes

Size

	Male	Female
Length	9 - 11"	11 -1 2"
Wing Span	21 - 23"	24 - 27"
Weight	4.5 - 6.6 oz.	6.4 - 8.3 oz.

Status - State and federally protected

Habitat - Prefer edge environments with scattered trees for perches and open terrain for hunting birds and insects on the wing. Habitats vary regionally, from mixed grassland and deciduous trees, to coniferous forests with open meadows or burns - wherever enough perches and a good food supply exist.

Diet - Birds form the majority of the diet. This falcon catches birds in flight with bursts of speed and rapid maneuvers. Usually hunts from a perch, taking off after spotting a potential meal, often flying low and in direct pursuit of prey. Also eats rodents, lizards, snakes, and insects - especially dragonflies.

Call - This falcon is usually quiet. When alarmed, will give a strident, rapidly accelerating series of twitwitwitwitititititi, rising and falling.

Nesting - Appropriates the nests of other species, or nests in tree hollows in areas where there are scattered trees or open woodland. Will also nest on bare cliff ledges, or on the ground in a scraped-out depression.

Most Common Problems - Collisions with vehicles.


	Range - This falcon is circumboreal in worldwide distribution. One or another of the three subgroups of Merlin found in North America breed from Canada and Alaska south into western mountain regions of the US, and winter throughout most of the central and southern part of the country, down into Mexico. Touch Thumbnail to Enlarge Range Map

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