Gray Falcon vs Merlin

Falco hypoleucos compared with Falco columbarius

Key Differences

• Gray Falcon is Vulnerable while Merlin is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gray Falcon	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 hypoleucos	Falco columbarius

Evolutionary Relationship

Gray Falcon and Merlin share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Falco.

Conservation Status

Gray Falcon

VU — Vulnerable

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gray Falcon	Merlin
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gray Falcon

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its 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).

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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway