The differences between American kestrels and merlins are many, despite both being charismatic small falcons and capable of taking some of the same prey as trained birds. In general, kestrels are ambush predators rarely making an extended chase, while merlins typically pursue their quarry and sometimes for a great distance.
Managing slips for each of these birds benefits from knowing how they prefer to hunt in the wild and what they’re able to do in falconry.*
Here the components of a typical kestrel slip and merlin flight are compared using a new teaching tool from Four Falconry Fundamentals, the Slip Management Concept Card, available for purchase here (anticipated publication Sept. 2023): www.paypal.com/instantcommerc...
*quarry shown: European starling and Scaled quail. Car hawking, where permitted, should be practiced on private property and only at unprotected, non-game species.