Merlin
MerlinMerlinMerlinMerlin

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Portland

In 3 days ~10%

851 Verified sightings at Portland
7,604 In all 82 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Merlin

The merlin (Falco columbarius) is a small species of falcon from the Northern Hemisphere, with numerous subspecies throughout North America and Eurasia. A bird of prey, the merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter. Males typically have wingspans of 53–58 centimetres (21–23 in), with females being slightly larger. They are swift fliers and skilled hunters, which specialize in preying on small birds in the size range of sparrows to doves and medium-sized shorebirds. In recent decades, merlin populations in North America have been significantly increasing, with some merlins becoming so well adapted to city life that they forgo migration; in Europe, populations increased up to about 2000, but have been steady subsequently. The merlin has for centuries been well regarded as a falconry bird.

The scientific classification of the merlin (Falco columbarius) represents a crucial bridge between early colonial natural history and the birth of modern taxonomy. In the early 18th century, English naturalist Mark Catesby traveled through the American colonies and documented the bird under the colloquial name "pigeon... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:34

United States · 2024

© Valerie Heemstra · XC906167 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Begging call0:05

Russian Federation · 2023

© Mikhail Velikanov · XC794520 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:38

Sweden · 2022

© Lars Edenius · XC731075 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
7 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~10%
8 Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park 🇯🇲 Jamaica
~10%
9 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Cabo Pulmo National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
11 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
13 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
~10%
14 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
~10%
15 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
16 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
17 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~10%
18 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
19 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
20 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
21 Los Haitises National Park 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~10%
22 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
23 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
25 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
26 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
27 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
28 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
29 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
30 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
32 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
33 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
34 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
36 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
37 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
38 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
39 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
40 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
41 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
42 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
43 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
44 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
<5%
45 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
46 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
47 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
48 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
49 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
50 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
51 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
52 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
53 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
54 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
55 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
56 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
57 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
58 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
59 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
60 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
61 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
62 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
63 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
<5%
64 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
65 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
66 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
67 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
68 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
69 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
70 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
71 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
72 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
73 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
74 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
75 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
76 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
77 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
78 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
79 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
80 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
81 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
82 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Tijuana 🇲🇽 México
~10%
5 Anchorage 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
7 Santo Domingo 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~10%
8 Novosibirsk 🇷🇺 Russia
~10%
9 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Carolina Raptor Center 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Cascades Raptor Center 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Chouette à voir! 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
4 Museum of Life and Science 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity

Closest Relatives at Portland

American Kestrel
LC

American Kestrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Falco sparverius

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Peregrine Falcon
LC

Peregrine Falcon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Falco peregrinus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
American Crow
LC

American Crow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
Song Sparrow
LC

Song Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melospiza melodia

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely
Black-capped Chickadee
LC

Black-capped Chickadee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Poecile atricapillus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Dark-eyed Junco
LC

Dark-eyed Junco

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Junco hyemalis

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
American Robin
LC

American Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Turdus migratorius

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Northern Flicker
LC

Northern Flicker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colaptes auratus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
House Finch
LC

House Finch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haemorhous mexicanus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Anna's Hummingbird
LC

Anna's Hummingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calypte anna

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Spotted Towhee
LC

Spotted Towhee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pipilo maculatus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Lesser Goldfinch
LC

Lesser Goldfinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spinus psaltria

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Merlin in Portland?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Merlin sighting in Portland on a given day, based on 851 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 114th most-seen of the 230 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Merlin in Portland?

December

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Merlin in Portland on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Portland's wettest months, with about 250 mm of rain against 10 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Merlin?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Merlin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Portland the best place to see a Merlin?

22nd of 55

Of the 55 cities where we can rate Merlin sightings, Portland ranks 22nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Calgary (Canada, about 20%), Montreal (Canada, about 10%) and Edmonton (Canada, about 10%).

Where does the Merlin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Merlin is recorded against all the birds logged in Portland (851 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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