Gould stated that the habitat of the Merlin was 'the open moor and the fell: and the more wild and desolate the district, the greater is its charm for this bold little falcon.'

The illustration shows the Merlin's nest of a few crossed heather stalks laid on the bare ground on a bleak hillside. The male parent brings its prey of a small Serin Finch for the four white downy nestlings.

Gould believed that in Britain the Merlin was fortunately less persecuted by gamekeepers than other birds of prey because it lived in such remote areas.

DISTRIBUTION: Breeding distribution circumpolar in Eurasia and North America. Winters south to northwest Africa, Mediterranean area, south and southeast Asia, and north South America. In Britain remains a relatively rare breeding bird