Swallows · Perching birds
Western House-Martin
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Delichon urbicum
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Voice
Alarm
Song
Call
How to recognize it
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Body length 13 cm
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Blue-black upperparts, pure white belly and rump
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Shallowly notched tail; white rump clear in flight
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Mud nests under house eaves
About the species
The Western House-Martin has steel-blue feathers across its head and back, set against a clean white underside. In flight, the white rump makes a bright band between the dark back and its shallow-notched tail; the underwings are white too. Its short legs are feathered white, a detail that shows when it pauses beneath a roof.
Much of its day is spent catching small insects in the air, with quick turns above open ground. At nesting colonies, soft twittering carries beneath the eaves, punctuated by a sharper "chirrrp". Pairs build closed mud nests under ledges, often side by side, but each pair guards its own nest.
It feeds on flying insects over open fields and water, and also breeds around human settlements, from villages to city centers. After the breeding season, it migrates south to winter in sub-Saharan Africa or southwestern Asia.
Where to find
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During the breeding season, look for closed mud nests beneath the eaves of city buildings or sheltered bridge ledges; during nest-building, adults carry mud pellets to them.
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Over open meadows or water, watch for quick, low flights as Western House-Martins catch insects in the air, usually within about 450 m of a nest during the breeding season.
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Toward the end of the breeding season, look for young that have left their nests gathering in flocks on wires.
