Merlin (bird) this phenomenon is due to the fluctuations of supplementary food stocks discussed above. Merlin (bird) The merlin ("Falco columbarius") is a small species of falcon from the Northern Hemisphere, with numerous subspecies throughout North America and Eurasia. A bird of prey once known colloquially as a pigeon hawk in North America, the merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter. Males typically have wingspans of , with females being slightly larger. They are swift fliers and skilled hunters who specialize in preying on small birds in the size range of sparrows to
Passenger pigeon with "wild pigeon". The bird also gained some less-frequently used names, including blue pigeon, merne rouck pigeon, wandering long-tailed dove, and wood pigeon. In the 18th century, the passenger pigeon was known as "tourte" in New France (in modern Canada), but to the French in Europe it was known as "tourtre". In modern French, the bird is known as "tourte voyageuse" or "pigeon migrateur", among other names. In the Native American Algonquian languages, the pigeon was called "amimi" by the Lenape, "omiimii" by the Ojibwe, and "mimia" by the Kaskaskia Illinois. Other names in indigenous American languages include "ori'te" in