Merlin, eastern US (photo by Wm.H. Majoros via Wikimedia Commons)

25 June 2026

Have you heard this sound in your neighborhood?

It’s a merlin! Listen.

Merlins (Falco columbarius) are small, dark-striped, very fast falcons who’ve been making a comeback in Pennsylvania. Their population was wiped out during the DDT era and they didn’t return to PA until this century. In 2006-2009 the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas confirmed just 6 nests. The 3rd Breeding Bird Atlas, currently in progress 2024-2029, has confirmed 47 so far (dark purple dots on this map). We think there are more.

Merlin nests confirmed (dark purple) for 3rd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas as of 5 May 2026

Because of their habitat and prey preferences merlins could well be nesting near you. They prefer forests, cities, residential areas, school yards, parks, cemeteries, and golf courses and are often found where house sparrows are plentiful. They don’t build their own nests, instead choosing an old crow or hawk nest in a pine or spruce. If the crows don’t like it there’s a fight.

Other than fighting with crows, nesting merlins are relatively quiet … until right now.

Late June through early July is the easiest time to find merlins because they are very vocal and very loud. Here’s an adult and juvenile at feeding time. Both of them are calling. The juvenile sounds are fainter.

In 2022 Malcolm Kurtz found a merlin family at Chatham University. When I stopped by they were easy to find. I heard them before I saw them!

Merlin adults plus juvenile, 18 July 2022 (photo by Malcolm Kurtz)

If you’ve heard these sounds there’s a merlin family near you. In Pennsylvania we want to know about them. Read on.

If you’re in Pennsylvania: We think there are more merlins than the 47 families we already know about. We’d love to add your merlins to the Breeding Bird Atlas map.

• If you use eBird, record them there (ideally in the PA BBA portal*)
• Or, email Don Nixon, Pennsylvania’s merlin expert, at pamerlins AT gmail.com
• Or, email your county’s BBA coordinator: PA statewide BBA list is here.

If you’re in southwestern Pennsylvania, the challenge is on. Don Nixon writes:

Of the southwestern region’s 12 counties only 3 currently have confirmed nests Allegheny, Indiana & Jefferson.  I know of three others that had confirmed nests prior to the 2024 atlas start  (Butler, Clarion & Fayette). If we have reasonable luck, we can confirm nests in all 12 counties.

Not an eBirder? You can always email your County BBA Coordinator (Southwestern PA list from statewide BBA coordinators):

• Allegheny – Mike Fialkovich and Brian Shema (PBA3.Allegheny AT gmail.com)
• Armstrong – Jim Kellam (james.kellam AT stvincent.edu)
• Beaver – Tom Kuehl (tjk.kuehl AT gmail.com)
• Butler – Glenn Koppel (macatilly AT gmail.com) and Oscar Miller (aoscarmiller3 AT gmail.com)
• Clarion – Carole Winslow (cjwinslow94 AT gmail.com)
• Fayette – Alex Busato (PBA3.Fayette AT gmail.com)
• Greene – Marjorie Howard (rkbbirdclub AT yahoo.com)
• Indiana – Marg and Roger Higbee (PBA3.Indiana AT gmail.com)
• Jefferson – Don Nixon (pamerlins AT gmail.com) and Dave Keith (dksop96 AT gmail.com)
• Lawrence – Tom Kuehl (tjk.kuehl AT gmail.com)
• Washington – David Argent ([email protected])
• Westmoreland – Janet and Tom Kuehl (tjk.kuehl AT gmail.com)

(* p.s.) “ideally use the PA BBA portal.” Well, yes, but if you don’t already use the portal it will frustrate you on your first attempt. My advice for first timers: Don’t ruin a happy and exciting bird sighting by engaging in a fight with your cellphone.