Merlin vs Rock Kestrel

Falco columbarius compared with Falco rupicolus

Key Differences

• Merlin is Least Concern while Rock Kestrel is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Merlin	Rock Kestrel
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 rupicolus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Rock Kestrel

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Merlin	Rock Kestrel
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).

Rock Kestrel

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway.

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