BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Merlin

MERLIN
Falco columbarius

Merlin © G H Higginbotham

• Population
changes

• Productivity
trends

• Additional
information

Conservation listings

Europe: no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: amber (historical decline)

Long-term trend

UK: probable increase

UK population size

1,300 pairs in 1990–94 (Rebecca & Bainbridge 1998: BiE04, APEP06)

Status summary

Having declined substantially over the past two centuries, Merlin shows indications of a recent doubling of population (Rebecca & Bainbridge 1998). This increase may be associated with an increased use of forest edge as a nesting habitat (Parr 1994). Because of its recent population upturn, the species has been moved from the red to the amber list. It remains much too scarce, however, for annual population monitoring. Breeding performance has tended to improve since the 1960s, probably linked to the declining influence of organochlorine pesticides (Crick 1993).

Population changes

Annual breeding population changes for this species are not currently monitored by BTO

Productivity trends

Insufficient data on laying date
available for this species

Insufficient data on CES
available for this species

Additional information


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This report should be cited as: Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Crick, H.Q.P., Noble, D.G., Balmer, D.E., Coombes, R.H., Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Joys, A.C., Leech, D.I., Raven, M.J., Robinson, R.A. and Thewlis, R.M. (2006) Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2005. BTO Research Report No. 435. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends) Pages maintained by Susan Waghorn and Iain Downie: Last updated 28 April, 2006