25

Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum) Alternate name(s): "Common House Martin", "Northern House Martin", "House Martin" German name(s): "Mehlschwalbe" Size: 13.5-15 cm; wing span: 26-29 cm Body mass: 14-20 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.14-0.18

Europe: Family Group 25 Family Group 25 Table Barn Swallow European Red-rumped Swallow Common House Martin Sand Martin Eurasian Crag Martin Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Western House Martins have a glossy blue-black head, back and tail, while the entire front, from the chin to the undertail coverts, and sides are white. Also the rump is white. The sexes are alike, but females can have a greyish throat, which is always clean white in males. The irises are black. The short, spiky bill is also black, while the legs, where not covered by white feathers, and the feet are grey. Juveniles have a duller black head and back and some dusky grey on the throat, flanks and undertail coverts.

Taxonomy, classification See Common House Martin at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Common House Martin is available HERE . There are two races of Common House Martin, which are a strongly migratory species. The western, nominate race "urbicum", breeds across all of Europe, including the British Isles (but except the northern Scandinavian coastal fringe), around the Mediterranean (including the north-western African fringe) and all across temperate Asia, up to a latitude of about 70 degrees, as far East as central Mongolia and the Yenisei River. This population migrates southward to spend the northern winters in sub-Saharan Africa. Race "lagopodum" breeds eastwards of the Yenisei to Kolyma and southwards up to northern Mongolia and northern China; this race spends the northern winters in southern China and South-east Asia. For details see, e.g., Wikipedia. During the breeding season Western House Martins are found everywhere in Europe, from the British Isles and Iberia in the West to the Ural mountains and the Caucasus mountains in the East and South-east. The only exception is the northern Scandinavian coastal fringe. In their natural habitat, Western House Martins are usually found at cliffs and other rockfaces with suitable crevices or overhanging precipices to attach their mud nests to. They are very tolerant to the presence of humans and are therefore regularly found nesting (in colonies!) under the awnings of buildings or on other man-made structures.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "urbicum" D. Wilczynska reports finding Western House Martins, nominate race "urbicum", nesting in Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, in July 2016. H. Dahlem-Senger reports finding Western House Martins, nominate race "urbicum", nesting in different locations near Matrei, Osttirol, Austria, in July 2017 J. Pires reports finding Western House Martins, nominate race "urbicum", nesting annually in the area of Mora, Evora, Portugal.

Photos

Race "urbicum"

ADULT

PAIR

Near-dorsal view of a pair of Western House Martins clinging to their nest; note the use of the tail as a prop
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2018]

Dorsal view of a pair of Western House Martins clinging to their nest (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2018]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Western House Martin, here seen collecting mud (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2015]

Frontal and lateral view of Western House Martins collecting mud (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2018]

Near-lateral view of a Western House Martin collecting mud (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2018]

Lateral view of a Western House Martin, here seen collecting plant material, probably for lining its nest
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2018]

Western House Martin feeding a single chick in its nest (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Western House Martin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2020]

Frontal view of a Western House Martin in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2015]

Frontal view of a Western House Martin in flight banking sharply (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

Lateral view of a Western House Martin in flight, wings down; note the characteristic white rump (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Lateral/ventral view of a Western House Martin in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Malarranha, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Western House Martin in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of juvenile Western House Martins waiting to be fed (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Matrei, Osttirol, Austria, July 2017]

Frontal & lateral view of juvenile Western House Martins waiting to be fed (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2019]

Juvenile Western House Martins on a ledge (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: May - Aug

Eggs: 3 - 5

Incubation period: 14 - 16 days

Fledging age: 22 - 23 days

Nest building: Female & male

Incubation: Mostly female

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

Type: Basket

Material: Mud, feathers

Height above ground: 2(?) - ? m

Western House Martin chick in its nest, waiting to be fed (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

Two Western House Martin chicks in their nest, waiting to be fed (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Matrei, Osttirol, Austria, July 2017]

Closer look at two Western House Martin chicks in their nest, waiting to be fed (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Near Matrei, Osttirol, Austria, July 2017]

Lateral view of a Western House Martin at its nest (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2018]

Western House Martins at their nest (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Western House Martins approaching their small nest colony (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2015]

Western House Martin nest colony under a bridge (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2019]

Western House Martins collecting mud (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2018]

Eggs

Size: 19 x 13 mm

Colour: White

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Flock

Western House Martins congregating for their migration southward (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Albufeira de Miranda, Miranda do Douro, Braganca, Portugal, September 2024]

Western House Martin feeding a single chick in its nest; note the use of the tail as a prop
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, July 2016]

J. Pires reports observing the following behaviour:
When their chicks were fledging, a colony of Western House Martins chose a rooftop as their favourite perch. Individual chicks were paired with an adult to receive "flying lessons" - short laps first, then increasingly farther out. The next step was for 2-3 juveniles to follow one adult to learn how to hunt for insects, before groups of around 10 birds were then seen hunting together. Adults took the young to ever greater heights in the process until, one day in autumn, they were all gone - to Africa, where (according to the adult birds) insects were plentiful.

Food, Diet

Adults: Small insects

Dependents: As adults

Water intake: Daily(?)

Like all other swallows known to us, Western House Martins are insect hunters. They feed in-flight on small insects.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

housmrt_jp_20200503_2.m4a	urbicum (Portugal)	Contact calls	© JP
housmrt_jp_20200503_3.m4a	urbicum (Portugal)	Contact calls (+ Spanish Sparrow)	© JP
housmrt_jp_20190615.m4a	urbicum (Portugal)	Contact calls (+ Spanish Sparrow)	© JP
housmrt_jp_20190413.m4a	urbicum (Portugal)	Group chatter	© JP
housmrt_dw_20160708.m4a	urbicum (Poland)	Arriving at nest	© DW
housmrt_jp_20200503.m4a	urbicum (Portugal)	Various (+ Spanish Sparrow)	© JP

More Common House Martin sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.