Family Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae)
Least Concern
Asian House Martin (Delichon dasypus)
Taxonomy
French: Hirondelle de Bonaparte German: Kaschmirschwalbe Spanish: Avión asiático
Taxonomy:
Chelidon dasypus
Bonaparte
, 1850,Borneo
.
Subspecies and Distribution
D. d. cashmeriense
(Gould, 1858) – Himalayas from Pakistan E to SC China; winters N India and SE Asia.
D. d. dasypus
(Bonaparte, 1850) – SC & SE Russia (Khamar-Daban, Ussuriland, Sakhalin), N Mongolia and Kuril Is S to NE China, Korea and Japan; winters S Japan and mainly SE Asia S to Greater Sundas and Philippines.
D. d. nigrimentale
(E. J. O. Hartert, 1910) – S & E China and Taiwan; winters SE Asia although some birds resident.
Descriptive notes
12–13 cm; 18 g. Has glossy blue crown and back, white rump and shorter uppertail-coverts; wings and tail blackish brown, tail slightly forked; underparts white with... read more
Voice
Song is a soft twittering; shrill contact call.
Habitat
Valleys and gorges in mountainous areas and sea coasts, also human habitations. Mostly above 1500 m... read more
Food and feeding
Diet includes small dipteran flies (especially Nematocera and Brachycera, also Syrphidae), bugs (Hemiptera) including homopterans, beetles... read more
Breeding
Mar–Oct in N, Apr–Jul in S; may have up to three broods, possibly only one in Himalayas. Colonial, in small groups; nests often... read more
Movements
Largely migratory; extent of winter ranges unclear. NE populations (nominate race) migrate S to,... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Locally common. Extent of range in S Russia uncertain: recent expansion into Khamar-Daban region; any breeding localities between... read more
Sometimes considered conspecific with D. urbicum, but breeding ranges reportedly overlap, e.g. S of L Baikal, although documented evidence absent in Himalayas#R; confirmation needed. DNA data#R reveal deep divergence in populations around Japanese archipelago, suggesting cryptic diversity; study needed. Three subspecies recognized.