Excellent video. Many thanks for this information.

Seen my first merlin this morning/ really chuffed

Thank you for your support, we'll do our best to keep producing BTO Bird ID videos on a regular basis.

I like the mention of behavioral clues like the hovering, most other guides only cover calls and visual clues like markings or shape, but if the bird isn't chatty and just zooming by, those alone aren't too helpful.

Fantastic ID guides ,I'm mad-keen on bird-watching and have been for decades,but I still struggle at times to narrow a sighting down to one (the correct) species.These guides are just wonderful.

Many thanks for this video! I was puzzling over what type of hawk has set up a roost in our barn next to an occupied Barn Owl box, and had narrowed it down to either a Kestrel or a Merlin, and know that both are currently active in our region - but this video left no doubt in my mind at all. It's a Kestrel. It was fascinating to see the Kestrel fly out of the open-sided barn, followed by the Barn owl just seconds later, this afternoon - I wondered why we were finding pellets that were two distinct sizes, now I know!

Just saw a Merlin flying down a roadside ditch in rural Northwest Minnesota. Didn't know if it was a Merlin or Kestrel, but it definitely wasn't one of the larger hawks and eagles in the area. I never knew Kestrels hovered and now I'd really like to see it.

Love, love, love these ID guides, they're so useful! Please do keep 'em coming ;-)

Thank you for posting this. It is very helpful.

Excellent video very informative and helpful. Many thanks for sharing.

I was like oh my gosh is it hunting another kestrel?! Until i saw the tilte

I was feeding the birds in my garden when a Merlin flew right by me and tried to grab one of the sparrows. I'm not 100% sure it was a Merlin though. Didn't get a propper look on it since it was freaking fast! But the shape and flying style looked exactly like the one showed in this video, and it was really small, about the same size of a pidgeon.

3:49 “…Habit and (what?) can prevent confusion” I can’t work out what that word is, heard it in many of these (excellent) BTO ID videos.

Here in Western North America, the Merlin is significantly larger than the Kestril. Where both are present, the Kestril is pushed to outside areas by very aggressive territorial Merlin behavior. Merlins around here fly like fighter pilots, though catching birds on the wing can be a surprisingly delicate snatch from behind and above. In urban areas they can be irritatingly noisy.

excellent - thanks very much.

This is a nice comparison/contrast although when you digress to the Sparrowhawk it becomes most confusing.. “ Merlin is a much smaller falcon than the kestrel” . Then “ male and female Merlins are similar size to male and female Sparrowhawk! ? We know Sparrowhawk are closely if not BIGGER than the Kestrel… what am I missing?

Love birds xxxx

Nice video dear

If only there was also a bigger species of Falco similar to this that would be the most awesome and beautiful falcon. Same as the Goshawk-Sparrowhawk duet.

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What's the different between Merlin and Hobby?? Confused at their Colouration (Merlin) and (Hobby),not (Kestrel) because it has Red backed wings.

Daniel William it's a sparrowhawk

Sant Edward's and Sant Clarie Children's Culure Mixed Media and sport Department Roundtable Congress. The Mmarlin sould have been in Pab as it celebrate the 🎩magic of Children.

Great video! Great chanell! Kestlers and Hobbys are my favourite birds You have like and sub If you cloud make film about swallows?????

Did you just call the Peregrine stocky and bulky? Hah.

zrubcje ptaki żebym was miał dobrze

Why don't you say "THE Kestrel" and "THE Merlin"? You sound so affected.