Merlin vs Rotbrustfalke

Falco columbarius compared with Falco deiroleucus

Key Differences

• Merlin is Least Concern while Rotbrustfalke is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Merlin	Rotbrustfalke
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class same	Aves (Vögel)	Aves (Vögel)
Order same	Falconiformes (Falkenartige)	Falconiformes (Falkenartige)
Family same	Falconidae	Falconidae
Genus same	Falco	Falco
Species	Falco columbarius	Falco deiroleucus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Rotbrustfalke

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Merlin	Rotbrustfalke
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).

Rotbrustfalke

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.

Rotbrustfalke

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