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Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) Alternate name(s): "Common Sand Martin", "European Sand Martin", "Collared Sand Martin" (Indian subcontinent), "Bank Swallow" (North America) German name(s): "Uferschwalbe" Size: 12-13 cm; wing span: 26.5-29 cm Body mass: 11-16 g (up to 19.5 g prior to migration) Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.15

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 Sand Martins are the smallest European species of swallow. The plumage of the two sexes is identical. The cap and sides of the head are brownish-grey, as is the mantle, while most of the front, except for a broad brownish-grey chest band, is white from throat to undertail coverts. There are also some buff-grey to off-white edges on the frons, towards both the upper mandible of the bill and the eyes. The primaries are darker brownish-grey than the rest of the upperparts. The irises are dark; the short, pointy bill is dark-grey. The legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have lighter tips on their wing coverts, lighter margins on their secondaries and some striation on the cap. The throat is grey-buff, while the breast band is not well-developed yet.

Taxonomy, classification See Sand 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 Sand Martin is available HERE . There are eight races of Sand Martin, which are a strongly migratory species. Taken altogether, their breeding range encompasses all continents of the northern hemisphere, plus Iceland. Their breeding range extends to the Arctic circle, e.g. in Alaska and northern Scandinavia. They spend the northern winters in tropical and southern areas, from Africa to the Indian subcontinent and in central to southern America. During their migration they can be found basically anywhere between breeding grounds and winter quarters, e.g. also along the Arabian coastal fringe. Nominate race "riparia" 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. This population migrates southward to spend the northern winters in eastern and southern Africa. During the breeding season Sand Martins are found almost anywhere 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 exceptions are mountainous areas in the Mediterranean, the highest mountain ranges in general, and the northern Scandinavian coastal fringe. Sand Martins are usually found near undercuts along rivers with exposed steep sandy banks, into which they dig tunnels for nesting.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "riparia" D. Wilczynska reports spotting Sand Martins, nominate race "riparia", along the river Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, in May 2017. J. Pires reports finding Sand Martins, race "riparia", regularly during the breeding season in the area from the Tejo estuary to Mora, Evora, Portugal, where they breed annually. G. Normand spotted Sand Martins, race "riparia", at Parc du Sausset, 20 km North of Paris, France, in July 2020. They were also found near Vannes, Bretagne, France, in August 2020. A. Sarok found Sand Martins, race "riparia", in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024.

Photos

Race "riparia"

ADULT

PAIR

Frontal view of a pair of Sand Martins (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2025]

Lateral view of a pair of Sand Martins inspecting a potential nest hollow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2022]

(Near-)dorsal view of a pair of Sand Martins inspecting a potential nest hollow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2025]

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of an adult Sand Martin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2019]

Near-frontal view of two Sand Martins, left and right, with a juvenile Barn Swallow (photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Parc du Sausset, 20 km North of Paris, France, July 2020]

Lateral view of a Sand Martin (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Lateral view of a Sand Martin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2019]

Lateral view of a Sand Martin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2019]

Dorsal view of a Sand Martin inspecting a potential nest hollow (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2022]

Sand Martins on a ledge of a steep sandy bank (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Sand Martins on a ledge of a steep sandy bank (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Sand Martin in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

Lateral view of a Sand Martin in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Sand Martin in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2020]

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

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

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

Dorsal/ventral view of a Sand Martin in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]

Overview of Sand Martins in flight near a steep sandy bank (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Overview of Sand Martins in flight near a steep sandy bank (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Sand Martins in flight near a steep sandy bank (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

Sand Martins exploring a steep sandy bank for its suitability for nesting (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, May 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Adult, left, with a near-frontal view of a juvenile Sand Martin (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Sand Martin looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Sand Martin - note the pale edge lining on the feathers (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2022]

Lateral view of a juvenile Sand Martin (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2022]

Lateral view of juvenile Sand Martins (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: May - Aug

Eggs: 4 - 6

Incubation period: 14 - 15 days

Fledging age: ca. 22 days

Except in the northern-most parts of their breeding range, Sand Martins usually have two broods per season.

Nest building: Female & male

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

Type: Tunnel

Material: Sand; straw, feather lining

Height above ground: N/A

Sand Martins are the only Eurasian swallows or martins to use a tunnel for nesting. They can sometimes be found nesting in close proximity to several other tunnel-nesting species, such as European Bee-eaters.

Tunnels can be very shallow, more like a recess or a ledge, while others are up to 1 m long. Note the wide entrances which offer little protection against predators (while other species cut the opening to their tunnels as narrow as possible).

Sand Martin feeding its near-fledgling age young at the nest entrance
(photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Frontal view of a Sand Martin at the entrance to its nest tunnel, (photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Near Vannes, Bretagne, France, August 2020]

Adult Sand Martin at the entrance to its "avant garde" nest tunnel, with a near-fledging age chick looking out
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2017]

"Time to fly, children!" - Sand Martin fledging day (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2017]

Change of the guard at a Sand Martin nest (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2020]

Lateral view of a Sand Martin at the entrance to its nest (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2025]

Near-dorsal view of a Sand Martin at the entrance to its nest (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2020]

Sand Martin thiking "This has worked before, let's try again!" (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabecao, Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2023]

Sand Martin removing a piece of egg shell from its nest tunnel (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2015]

Overview of a small sand bank with Sand Martin nest tunnels just under the grassy edge; this site, where bird had been observed starting to dig tunnels in May, was already abandoned again in late July, after one breeding cycle
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2017]

Sand bank with Sand Martin nest tunnels (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2017]

Closer view of the entrances to Sand Martin nest tunnels in a sand bank (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[River Bug, near Brok, Masovia, Poland, July 2017]

Eggs

Size: 17 x 12 mm

Colour: White

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Flock

Upon arrival in their summer quarters, Sand Martins have the habit of first staying in areas where they can find early insects, usually around April, before moving on to their breeding grounds.

Food, Diet

Adults: Small insects

Dependents: As adults

Water intake: Daily(?)

Like all other swallows known to us, Sand 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.

sandmrt_jp_20200625.m4a	riparia (Portugal)	Contact calls	© JP
sandmrt_jp_20230318.m4a	riparia (Portugal)	Contact calls (mob)	© JP
sandmrt_dw_20200621.m4a	riparia (Poland)	Warning calls (+ Common Cuckoo)	© DW
sandmrt_jp_20220216.m4a	riparia (Portugal)	Various near nest (+ Feral Pigeon & House Sparrow)	© JP

More Sand 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.

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