Merlin

Falco columbarius aesalon (Tunstall, 1771)

2011-12-17 Koktube, Mai region, Pavlodar oblast.	© Oleg Lyakhov

Description

General colour is dark, size is small. The male’s head, upper mantle and scapulars are bluish-grey, darker than upper tail coverts. Head is with broad black streaks and lack of rusty shade; the forehead is slightly lighter than crown. Under parts pattern formed by the large dark spots on whitish-brownish, less often rusty background. The dark bars on tail feathers are well defined. The female’s upper parts are dark-brown with narrow buffy edges of feathers. Crown is same colour as mantle. Cross pattern on upper parts is faint defined. The dark pattern on under parts is well defined. Male wing length 192-210 (199), female 214-228 (220) mm.

Distribution

Occurs in Kazakhstan on migration and in winter. Two rings of birds ringed on Chokpak Pass were returned (from Tyumenzevskiy district of Altaisky Krai and Enisseyskiy district on Krasnoyarskiy Krai). In winter observed near Semipalatinsk (19 January 1958), but subspecies of bird is not identified.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000. Г.П.Дементьев, Н.А.Гладков, Е.С.Птушенко, Е.П.Спангенберг, А.М.Судиловская. "Птицы Советского Союза" Том I. Москва, 1951.