MikeDF on Nostr: A Merlin, basking in the sun on an otherwise chilly day last February. The Merlin is ...
A Merlin, basking in the sun on an otherwise chilly day last February. The Merlin is a small falcon that specializes in aerial pursuit or surprise capture of avian prey.
Breeding in boreal forests in North America and Eurasia, many migrate, but residents remain in middle and northern latitudes year-round. Merlins are widespread, but uncommon, and have adapted to suburban and urban settings.
As many of us do, until I became interested in birding, I tended to lump all raptors together and assumed common ancestry for the entire group. As a phylogeneticist, it interested me to learn that falcons (Falconiformes) are more closely related to songbirds and parrots than they are to hawks and vultures (Accipitrimorphae), which share common ancestry with owls and woodpeckers.
#birds #birdsofmastodon #birdphotography #naturephotography #nature #MastodonNatureCommunity #wildlife #birding #aves #raptor #falcon #Merlin
Breeding in boreal forests in North America and Eurasia, many migrate, but residents remain in middle and northern latitudes year-round. Merlins are widespread, but uncommon, and have adapted to suburban and urban settings.
As many of us do, until I became interested in birding, I tended to lump all raptors together and assumed common ancestry for the entire group. As a phylogeneticist, it interested me to learn that falcons (Falconiformes) are more closely related to songbirds and parrots than they are to hawks and vultures (Accipitrimorphae), which share common ancestry with owls and woodpeckers.
#birds #birdsofmastodon #birdphotography #naturephotography #nature #MastodonNatureCommunity #wildlife #birding #aves #raptor #falcon #Merlin