Eurasian Hobby vs Merlin

Falco subbuteo compared with Falco columbarius

Key Differences

• Eurasian Hobby is Near Threatened while Merlin is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian Hobby	Merlin
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)
Family same	Falconidae	Falconidae
Genus same	Falco	Falco
Species	Falco subbuteo	Falco columbarius

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian Hobby and Merlin share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Falco.

Conservation Status

Eurasian Hobby

NT — Near Threatened

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian Hobby	Merlin
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eurasian Hobby

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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).

Eurasian Hobby

Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 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.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden