Three subspecies of the Merlin (Falco columbarius) are recognized in North America. The Black Merlin (F. c. suckleyi) breeds in humid forests of the Pacific Northwest and has the darkest plumage of the three North American subspecies. Richardson’s Merlin (F. c. richardsonii) has pale plumage and breeds in the dry prairies of south-central Canada and the north-central USA. The Taiga Merlin (F. c. columbarius) breeds in forests across much of Alaska and Canada, extending south in some northern states and in western North America to parts of Washington, Idaho, and Montana; it is intermediate in plumage between the other two subspecies (Warkentin et al. 2005).