Greater Kestrel vs Merlin

Falco rupicoloides compared with Falco columbarius

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Greater Kestrel	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 rupicoloides	Falco columbarius

Evolutionary Relationship

Greater Kestrel and Merlin share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Falco.

Conservation Status

Greater Kestrel

LC — Least Concern

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Greater Kestrel	Merlin
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Greater Kestrel

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway.

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