Dominica Botanic Gardens Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies

Source: Dominica’s Birds Merlin male - Photo: Kevin T. Karlson Merlin male - Photo: Helmut C. Mueller

Description: Medium-sized migrant, 25-35 cm long (10-14 in); close relative of the slightly smaller American Kestrel (Gligli); upperparts slate-grey in male, dark brown in female; both heavily speckled brown on neck and underparts; have short, dark, hooked beak of the raptor, black eyes with long, light-grey eye-brows; pointed wings; long, narrow, dark-grey tail, banded light grey; have short, yellow legs and yellow, taloned feet; juveniles and immature females like adult female; is very quick and agile in flight; when hunting, usually flies close to the ground and catches prey with a burst of speed; feeds variously on small birds, small lizards and large insects; during migration, primarily in October, is often seen in Gardens’ sky at dusk hunting small bats in flight; click here to see its video. References: Arlington James, et al. Dominica’s Birds. Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, Dominica, 2005 James Bond. Birds of the West Indies. Collins, St James Place, London, 4th Edition, 1979 Herbert Raffaele, et al. Birds of the West Indies. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2003 Fred J. Alsop III. Birds of Florida. Smithsonian Handbooks, Dorling Kindersley, NewYork, 2002.