Page 279 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

MARTINS AND SWALLOWS
Order Passeriformes Family Hirundinidae Species Delichon urbica
House Martin

dark underwings
brown-black ADULT
wings
nest exposed
dark forked tail on outside
with no wall
streamers ADULTS (AT NEST)
blue-black
white rump (darker cap
on juvenile) blue-black
back
IN FLIGHT

white
throat
FLIGHT: stiff, circling, with flurries of flicked white white-
wingbeats and long glides; less fluent than Swallow. underside feathered
legs
s its name suggests, this is the
A hirundine most closely associated
with buildings, although apart from
using houses to nest in, it really has no
need for people at all. It is not a garden
bird, but an aerial one, feeding over the
housetops, coming down only to pick up ADULT
mud with which to fashion its distinctive (COLLECTING MUD)
nest. In many parts of south Europe, it
still breeds in remote places, nesting on
cliffs high in the mountains.
VOICE Hard, quick, chirping prrit or
chrrit, tchirrip; song twittering
improvisation of similar notes.
NESTING Enclosed mud nest with
entrance at top, fixed under eaves or
overhang; 4 or 5 eggs; 2 or 3 broods;
April–September. AUTUMN FLOCK
FEEDING Catches flying insects and House Martin flocks gather on wires in autumn before
drifting spiders, high in air, in its mouth. migrating south to Africa. OCCURRENCE
In summer, in all of Europe except
SIMILAR SPECIES Iceland, typically abundant in
south over towns, villages, open
SWALLOW SAND MARTIN SWIFT areas, mountain gorges, reservoirs,
see p.275 dark rump; does not perch;
see p.273 see p.249 larger and reed beds. In N and W
all-dark Europe, typical breeding bird of
above brown modern suburbs as well as older
above farmsteads and villages, but now
rare on natural cliffs.
all-dark
plumage Seen in the UK
J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 12cm (4 3 ⁄4in) Wingspan 26–29cm (10–11 1 ⁄2in) Weight 15–21g ( 9 ⁄16 – 3 ⁄4oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Secure
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