The Story
I photographed this Merlin (Falco columbarius) at the Avian Reconditioning Center in Apopka, Florida, United States, in October 2020. It is a small falcon, and studies have found a genetic link to two tropical Old World kestrels, the Grey Kestrel and Dickinson’s Kestrel. Its color varies a good deal across its range, mostly following Gloger’s rule, with darker birds in more humid regions. Males and females differ in size, which lets a pair hunt different prey and get by with a smaller territory. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. The center raises nestlings with surrogate parents and gives a permanent home to raptors that would not survive on their own.
©2023 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Merlin (Falco columbarius) belongs to the family Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List