My Birdie...

His name is TONY and I named him after a famous Filipino star Tony Ferrrer, who is popularized the character Tony Falcon/Agent X44 in the 60s, a character inspired by James Bond.

Tony is a small breed of Falcon called MERLIN (Falco Columbarius), which was captured wild at the desert of Jubail, Saudi Arabia during the spring time of 2006 by Mohammed Rashid Al-Buainain and give to me as a token of friendship and for treating me like one of his brother.

MERLIN (Falco Columbarius)The Merlin is Britain's smallest falcon with a maximum wingspan of only 2ft, but it is probably the most active. It does not stoop on its prey but chases it down in high speed pursuit, rising above the prey at the last instant to strike downwards with its talons.
Britain's 1,300 Merlin pairs represent about 95% of the total European population. It is a population which continues to decline: the reasons for the fall are not fully understood but, since the Merlin is a predominantly ground-nesting bird which preys largely on small birds, one of the major factors would be secondary pesticide poisoning.

FACT FILE:
LENGTH: 25 - 30cms (10 - I 2ins)
WINGSPAN: 50 - 62cms (20 - 24ins)
WEIGHT: 0.12 - 0.30kg (4oz - I I oz)
HABITAT: Open upland country. Hilly areas offer the best vantage points. Nests frequently in patches of heather. Some birds have recently taken to the forest margins.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Ironically, Britain's northern grouse moors seem to offer this bird its best chance of survival, but only if the Merlin is allowed to live free of persecution by gamekeepers.