Merlins do not nest in Missouri but do pass through the state in small numbers in spring and fall. Merlins have suffered severe declines in some areas because of pesticides and agricultural expansion and are Blue-Listed by the National Audubon Society. Merlins commonly hunt by flying low over the ground in a veering and erratic course, with rapidly beating wings and short glides. Return to list. The American kestrel is the smallest and most colorful of North American Falconiformes.
Kestrels are common residents of Missouri throughout the year.
Nesting usually begins in mid-March, and a clutch of four to six eggs is laid in early April. The female does most of the incubating for 28 to 30 days, while the male hunts for her. Young kestrels fledge from the nest after 28 to 30 days. Because many old-growth trees and snags are being cut or cleared, and with the conversion of habitat to monotypic grain farms, these beautiful falcons have declined in some areas. They are Blue-Listed by the National Audubon Society.