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
Rodrigues pigeon Rodrigues pigeon The Rodrigues pigeon, also known as Rodrigues dove ("Nesoenas rodericanus") is an extinct species of pigeon formerly endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues. It is known from a subfossil sternum and some other bones, and the descriptions of Leguat (1708) and Julien Tafforet (1726). This bird was assigned to the genus "Alectroenas", but this was erroneous. It is most similar to that of the ground doves ("Gallicolumba") or to a miniature version of the sternum of an imperial pigeon ("Ducula"). If this similarity is not based on convergence, considering the evolutionary relationships of the dodo and the