Local merger rate density of BH–NS systems from field binaries as a function of the natal-kick velocity dispersion σ. Different colors represent different values of α, which quantifies the energy available to unbind the envelope during common-envelope phases of binary evolution. The shaded regions represent the BH–NS merger rate estimated by LVK when assuming that GW200105 and GW200115 are representative of the NS–BH population (cyan; LVK low) and under the assumption of a broader distribution of component masses (pink; LVK high).