Merlin vs Orange-breasted Falcon

Falco columbarius compared with Falco deiroleucus

Key Differences

• Merlin is Least Concern while Orange-breasted Falcon is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Merlin	Orange-breasted Falcon
Kingdom same	Animalia (حيوانات)	Animalia (حيوانات)
Phylum same	Chordata (حبليات)	Chordata (حبليات)
Class same	Aves (طيور)	Aves (طيور)
Order same	Falconiformes (صقريات الشكل)	Falconiformes (صقريات الشكل)
Family same	Falconidae	Falconidae
Genus same	Falco	Falco
Species	Falco columbarius	Falco deiroleucus

Evolutionary Relationship

Merlin and Orange-breasted Falcon share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Falco.

Conservation Status

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Orange-breasted Falcon

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Merlin	Orange-breasted Falcon
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Merlin

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Orange-breasted Falcon

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Merlin

Merlin (Falco columbarius) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Orange-breasted Falcon

Orange-breasted Falcon (Falco deiroleucus) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela