Yes, juvenile Peregrine Falcons are quite brown, especially when compared to the steely blue-gray of adults.
Although there's nothing in the photo for scale, Peregrines are much larger than Merlins (e.g., wingspan of ~40" vs. ~25").
In the photo you can see the facial pattern fairly well -- a broad dark patch on the face (some say this gives Peregrines a "helmeted" look). Merlins, on the other hand, have a very different face pattern with a much narrower malar stripe (rather than a broad patch). A Merlin's face pattern is more similar to a kestrel's.
Also, a Merlin would have a more noticeably banded tail (stronger light and dark stripes).
I hardly ever see Merlins on Bodega Head, but you could probably say Peregrines are uncommon-common at this time. It's not surprising to see one on just about any day spent along the Sonoma coast.
2 comments:
Great photo. So brown, though, did you rule out a Merln?
Hi!
Yes, juvenile Peregrine Falcons are quite brown, especially when compared to the steely blue-gray of adults.
Although there's nothing in the photo for scale, Peregrines are much larger than Merlins (e.g., wingspan of ~40" vs. ~25").
In the photo you can see the facial pattern fairly well -- a broad dark patch on the face (some say this gives Peregrines a "helmeted" look). Merlins, on the other hand, have a very different face pattern with a much narrower malar stripe (rather than a broad patch). A Merlin's face pattern is more similar to a kestrel's.
Also, a Merlin would have a more noticeably banded tail (stronger light and dark stripes).
I hardly ever see Merlins on Bodega Head, but you could probably say Peregrines are uncommon-common at this time. It's not surprising to see one on just about any day spent along the Sonoma coast.
Thanks for the question!
Jackie
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