MERLIN

also called pigeon hawk (Falco columbarius) small blue-gray falcon, family Falconidae, with a narrowly white-banded tail. It is found at high latitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, occurring in the western United States south to Colorado and in Europe in the western parts of the British Isles and in Scandinavia. Dark-coloured populations breed near Vancouver, B.C., and in Iceland. Most migrate to regions just south of the breeding range, although some species go as far as northern South America. The merlin inhabits wet, open country or conifer and birch woods. It usually lays its eggs on the ground amid bushes but sometimes occupies an old rook or magpie nest in a tree. An aggressive hunter, the merlin was once much used in falconry.