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Bird

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Passes through West Virginia on migration. Found in all 55 counties, across 2 habitats.

Here
On migration
Nesting
Not known to nest here
Range
All 55 counties
Habitats
2

At a glance

Group
Birds
Here
On migration
Nesting
Not known to nest here
Range
All 55 counties
Habitats
2
Habitat models
Winter

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in West Virginia 2

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Winter

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

WinterCultivated Cropland
Other habitats in its models (68)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in West Virginia. Those recorded in West Virginia first, the rest by region.

Elsewhere in the South (49)
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Wooded Swamp Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Sea Island Beach Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Beach Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Xeric River Dune Winter.
  • Central and Upper Texas Coast Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
  • Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Winter.
  • Central Florida Herbaceous Seep Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp Winter.
  • Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
  • Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
  • Florida Dry Prairie Winter.
  • Florida Panhandle Beach Vegetation Winter.
  • Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub Winter.
  • Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Winter.
  • Mississippi River Bottomland Depression Winter.
  • Mississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
  • South Florida Cypress Dome Winter.
  • South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Winter.
  • South Florida Mangrove Swamp Winter.
  • South Florida Pine Rockland Winter.
  • South Florida Shell Hash Beach Winter.
  • South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Winter.
  • South Texas Lomas Winter.
  • Southeast Florida Beach Winter.
  • Southeast Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Winter.
  • Southern Blackland Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
  • Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Winter.
  • Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Winter.
  • Southwest Florida Beach Winter.
  • Southwest Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Winter.
  • Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
  • Texas Coastal Bend Beach Winter.
  • Texas Saline Coastal Prairie Winter.
  • Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Catahoula Barrens Winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Nepheline Syenite Glade Winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Winter.
  • West Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
Northeast (3)
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Sandy Beach Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Winter.
West (1)
  • North American Arid West Emergent Marsh Winter.
Land cover and other classes (15)
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Winter.
  • Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Winter.
  • Developed, Low Intensity Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
  • East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Winter.
  • Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
  • Recently Chained Pinyon-Juniper Areas Winter.
  • South Texas Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.
  • South Texas Sand Sheet Grassland Winter.
  • Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Winter.
  • Unconsolidated Shore Winter.
  • Unconsolidated Shore (Beach/Dune) Winter.
  • Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Winter.

All habitats

Seasons in West Virginia

  • Migratory: does not nest here, in all 55 counties.

Also found in its main habitats

Its main habitats in West Virginia, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Birds 120

Plants 12

All of disturbed and introduced wetlands in West Virginia

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Birds 96

Plants 905

All of roadsides, fields and disturbed ground in West Virginia

USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models.

Sources