House Martin
The Common House Martin, sometimes called the Northern House Martin or, particularly in Europe, just House Martin, is a passerine bird and member of the swallow family Hirundininae. There are two geographical sub-species, the western nominate sub-species and the eastern sub-species.
The adult House Martin of the western nominate sub-species is 5.1 inches long with a wing span of 10 to 11 inches. It is steel-blue above with a white rump and white underparts including the underwings. Even its short legs have white downy feathering. It has brown eyes and a small black bill and its toes and exposed parts of the legs are pink. The sexes are similar but the juvenile bird is sooty black and some of its wing coverts and quills have white tips and edgings. The white rump and underparts of the House Martin are very noticeable in flight and prevent confusion with the other widespread Palearctic swallows such as the Barn Swallow, Sand Martin and Red-rumped Swallow. The eastern sub-species differs from the western nominate sub-species in that its white rump extends much further on to the tail and the fork of its tail is intermediate in depth between that of the western nominate sub-species and that of the Asian House Martin. The House Martin is a noisy species, especially at its breeding colonies. The male's song, given throughout the year, is a soft twitter of melodious chirps.
The western nominate sub-species of the House Martin breeds across temperate Eurasia east to central Mongolia and the River Yenisei in Siberia and in north Africa in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. It migrates on a broad front (i.e. birds are not funnelled through the short sea crossings used by large soaring birds but cross the Mediterranean and the Sahara) to winter in sub-Saharan Africa. The eastern sub-species breeds east of the River Yenisei in Siberia to Kolyma in the Russian Far East and south to north Mongolia and north China. It winters in south China and south east Asia. As would be expected for a long distance migrant, the House Martin has occurred as a vagrant east to Alaska and west to Newfoundland, Bermuda and the Azores.
The preferred habitat of the House Martin is open country with low vegetation, such as pasture, meadows and farmland, preferably near water. It is also found in mountains up to at least 7200 feet. It is much more urban than the Barn Swallow and it will nest even in towns and city centres if the air is clean enough. The House Martin does not normally use the reed-bed roosts favoured by the Barn Swallow on migration.
The House Martin returns to its breeding areas in Europe between April and May and nest building starts between late March in north Africa and mid-June in north Scandinavia. It typically returns a few days after the first Barn Swallows. However, like that species, it seldom goes straight to its nesting sites but instead hunts for food over large fresh water bodies, particularly when the weather is poor.
The House Martin was originally a cliff and cave nester and some cliff-nesting colonies still exist with the nests built below an overhanging rock. It now largely uses human structures such as bridges and houses. Unlike the Barn Swallow, it uses the outside of inhabited buildings rather than the inside of buildings such as barns or stables. The nests are built at the junction of a vertical surface and an overhang, such as on house eaves, so that they may be strengthened by attachment to both planes. The nest is a neat closed convex cup fixed below a suitable ledge with a narrow opening at the top. It is constructed by both sexes with mud pellets collected in their beaks and lined with grasses, hair or other soft materials. The mud, added in successive layers, is collected from ponds, streams or puddles.
The House Martin tends to breed colonially and nests may be built in contact with each other. A colony size of less than 10 nests is typical but there are records of colonies with thousands of nests. The female lays 4 or 5 eggs and undertakes most of the incubation which normally lasts 14 to 16 days. The young chicks leave the nest after 22 to 32 days depending on the weather and the fledged young stay with and are fed by the parents for a further week. There are normally 2 broods each year and the same nest is reused for the second brood and repaired and used again in subsequent years. Hatching success is 90% and fledging survival 60 to 80%. The average annual mortality for adults is around 40 to 60% with most deaths outside the breeding season. Although individuals aged 10 and 14 years have been recorded, most survive less than 5 years.
For weeks after leaving the nest, the young congregate in ever-increasing flocks and, as summer progresses to autumn, birds may be seen gathering in trees or on rooftops or on telephone wires with Barn Swallows. By the end of October, most House Martins have left their breeding areas in west and central Europe although late birds in November and December are not uncommon and further south migration finishes later anyway.
The House Martin is similar in habits to other aerial insectivores, including other swallows and martins and the unrelated swifts, and it catches insects in flight. In the breeding areas, flies and aphids make up much of the diet and the House Martin takes a larger proportion of such insects than the Barn Swallow. During the winter, other insects such as sawflies, wasps, bees and ants are eaten. The House Martin typically hunts at an average height of around 70 feet during the breeding season but at lower heights in wet conditions. In winter, it tends to hunt at greater heights of over 160 feet. The hunting grounds are usually located within about 1500 feet of the nest with a preference for open ground or water, the latter especially in poor weather. However, the House Martin will also follow agricultural vehicles and large animals to catch disturbed insects.
Date: 7th June 2023
Location: Rhosson campsite near St. David's, Pembrokeshire
The adult House Martin of the western nominate sub-species is 5.1 inches long with a wing span of 10 to 11 inches. It is steel-blue above with a white rump and white underparts including the underwings. Even its short legs have white downy feathering. It has brown eyes and a small black bill and its toes and exposed parts of the legs are pink. The sexes are similar but the juvenile bird is sooty black and some of its wing coverts and quills have white tips and edgings. The white rump and underparts of the House Martin are very noticeable in flight and prevent confusion with the other widespread Palearctic swallows such as the Barn Swallow, Sand Martin and Red-rumped Swallow. The eastern sub-species differs from the western nominate sub-species in that its white rump extends much further on to the tail and the fork of its tail is intermediate in depth between that of the western nominate sub-species and that of the Asian House Martin. The House Martin is a noisy species, especially at its breeding colonies. The male's song, given throughout the year, is a soft twitter of melodious chirps.
The western nominate sub-species of the House Martin breeds across temperate Eurasia east to central Mongolia and the River Yenisei in Siberia and in north Africa in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. It migrates on a broad front (i.e. birds are not funnelled through the short sea crossings used by large soaring birds but cross the Mediterranean and the Sahara) to winter in sub-Saharan Africa. The eastern sub-species breeds east of the River Yenisei in Siberia to Kolyma in the Russian Far East and south to north Mongolia and north China. It winters in south China and south east Asia. As would be expected for a long distance migrant, the House Martin has occurred as a vagrant east to Alaska and west to Newfoundland, Bermuda and the Azores.
The preferred habitat of the House Martin is open country with low vegetation, such as pasture, meadows and farmland, preferably near water. It is also found in mountains up to at least 7200 feet. It is much more urban than the Barn Swallow and it will nest even in towns and city centres if the air is clean enough. The House Martin does not normally use the reed-bed roosts favoured by the Barn Swallow on migration.
The House Martin returns to its breeding areas in Europe between April and May and nest building starts between late March in north Africa and mid-June in north Scandinavia. It typically returns a few days after the first Barn Swallows. However, like that species, it seldom goes straight to its nesting sites but instead hunts for food over large fresh water bodies, particularly when the weather is poor.
The House Martin was originally a cliff and cave nester and some cliff-nesting colonies still exist with the nests built below an overhanging rock. It now largely uses human structures such as bridges and houses. Unlike the Barn Swallow, it uses the outside of inhabited buildings rather than the inside of buildings such as barns or stables. The nests are built at the junction of a vertical surface and an overhang, such as on house eaves, so that they may be strengthened by attachment to both planes. The nest is a neat closed convex cup fixed below a suitable ledge with a narrow opening at the top. It is constructed by both sexes with mud pellets collected in their beaks and lined with grasses, hair or other soft materials. The mud, added in successive layers, is collected from ponds, streams or puddles.
The House Martin tends to breed colonially and nests may be built in contact with each other. A colony size of less than 10 nests is typical but there are records of colonies with thousands of nests. The female lays 4 or 5 eggs and undertakes most of the incubation which normally lasts 14 to 16 days. The young chicks leave the nest after 22 to 32 days depending on the weather and the fledged young stay with and are fed by the parents for a further week. There are normally 2 broods each year and the same nest is reused for the second brood and repaired and used again in subsequent years. Hatching success is 90% and fledging survival 60 to 80%. The average annual mortality for adults is around 40 to 60% with most deaths outside the breeding season. Although individuals aged 10 and 14 years have been recorded, most survive less than 5 years.
For weeks after leaving the nest, the young congregate in ever-increasing flocks and, as summer progresses to autumn, birds may be seen gathering in trees or on rooftops or on telephone wires with Barn Swallows. By the end of October, most House Martins have left their breeding areas in west and central Europe although late birds in November and December are not uncommon and further south migration finishes later anyway.
The House Martin is similar in habits to other aerial insectivores, including other swallows and martins and the unrelated swifts, and it catches insects in flight. In the breeding areas, flies and aphids make up much of the diet and the House Martin takes a larger proportion of such insects than the Barn Swallow. During the winter, other insects such as sawflies, wasps, bees and ants are eaten. The House Martin typically hunts at an average height of around 70 feet during the breeding season but at lower heights in wet conditions. In winter, it tends to hunt at greater heights of over 160 feet. The hunting grounds are usually located within about 1500 feet of the nest with a preference for open ground or water, the latter especially in poor weather. However, the House Martin will also follow agricultural vehicles and large animals to catch disturbed insects.
Date: 7th June 2023
Location: Rhosson campsite near St. David's, Pembrokeshire
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Also in: Hirundines
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