Merlin

The Merlin is a small, compact falcon, with a unique silhouette and flight. Its closest resemblance is to the Sparrowhawk as they are roughly the same size, rather than to any other falcon. When perched, its short wings only go up to 2/3 or 3/4 of the tail; also the flight is quick and low, similar to the Sparrowhawk, however the pointed wings and style of wing beats are what set them apart. The trouble is usually one is presented with only a fleeting view of a small bird of prey passing by in a hurry and disappearing out of sight before any details of plumage can be observed. Yet, when the fortune of stumbling across one perched at a low elevation presents itself, it is a different story. Despite this, the long tail and eyebrow are evocative of the Sparrowhawk. There are 9 subspecies throughout the northern hemisphere in which we are particularly interested in Salaon ssp. of northern Europe, the one that can be seen in France from October to March. During this time, the male has migrated to Africa.
The adult male is smaller than the female, by at least 25%. It only weighs 160-170 g with a wingspan of 50-60 cm. Its greyish blue upperside, finely streaked with black is typical, as well as its black primaries edged with grey, grey rectrices with a black terminal bar. The underside is coloured rufous with fine brown streaks, especially around the thighs. The head is smooth with no crest. The crown and hind cheeks are streaked grey. A pale eyebrow is wedged between the two and a dark tear is visible under the eye on the rufous background, recalling the moustache of other falcons. The throat is pale, the iris is dark, the beak is greyish blue with a black tip, the cere and legs are yellow.
The female is visibly larger and the plumage is similar to that of the male, except the grey is replaced by brown.The upper parts are brown. The underside doesn't have any russet and is more clearly striped with brown. The flanks appear roughly barred with brown. The wings and tail are dark brown and barred with whitish.
Most of the sightings in France are of female type birds, probably juvenile or immature, very brown birds on top, with fringed tectrix chamois and marked with a black rachial line, and very marked below with large spots on the sides. The wax is not bright yellow.