The merlin is Britain smallest falcon and a bird of open upland moorland, with its welfare tied to the management of heather moors for both grouse shooting and conservation, in a landscape where interests sometimes conflict.
Merlin welfare is complex, as the heather moorland they require for breeding is partly maintained by driven grouse shooting management that also involves predator control benefiting merlins, yet the same estates sometimes illegally kill raptors. The net effect on merlin welfare depends on the balance between beneficial habitat management and illegal persecution. Climate change is altering heather growth dynamics and prey bird abundance on upland moors.