Family Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae)
Least Concern
Northern House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Taxonomy
French: Hirondelle de fenêtre German: Mehlschwalbe Spanish: Avión común occidental
Other common names:
Common House Martin
Taxonomy:
Hirundo urbica
Linnaeus
, 1758,Sweden
.Hitherto treated as conspecific with D. lagopodum (which see). Sometimes considered conspecific with D. dasypus, but breeding ranges overlap (e.g. S of L Baikal). Nominate race exhibits largely clinal decrease in size from N to S, but abrupt size reduction in S Europe; birds in WC Europe sometimes separated as race fenestrarum. Occasionally hybridizes with Hirundo rustica. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution
D. u. urbicum
(Linnaeus, 1758) – W, C & N Europe E to W Siberia; winters mainly sub-Saharan Africa.
D. u. meridionale
(E. J. O. Hartert, 1910) – S Europe, N Africa and WC Asia (E to W Mongolia, Tien Shan and Kashmir); winters Africa and SW Asia.
Descriptive notes
13–14 cm; 10·3–23 g; wingspan 26–29 cm. Male breeding has glossy blue crown and back, white rump, sometimes white feather bases showing on hindcrown... read more
Voice
Song is a soft twittering; calls include a shrill contact call “prt” or longer “... read more
Habitat
Open areas, coastal cliffs, cultivation, and human habitations, including towns and cities; in... read more
Food and feeding
Almost entirely insects, predominantly small ones. Diet in S England (mainly nestlings) 60% flies (Diptera), 18% aphids (Homoptera), 11%... read more
Breeding
Lays from May in NW & C Europe, end May–Jun in N & NE Europe; starts Mar–May in S Spain and N Africa; Jun–Jul in... read more
Movements
Migratory. Forms flocks of several hundreds or thousands after breeding. Main migration periods... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common and widespread, but numbers fluctuate locally. In Europe, population stable overall but some recent declines, e.g. in region... read more
House martins often appear at
House martins often appear at my house in UK around mid-July and breed, with the young fledging in October. The question is, where do they come from? Is there any evidence that house martins have a first brood and then fly further north for a second brood? There seems no reason for birds having their first brood locally to move locations for their second. Is there any evidence that colonies in southern Europe have a reduced number of birds from July?
Reply to Keith Blomerley
Yours is a very interesting question. As far as I know, there is no firm evidence of such behaviour in the case of the House Martin. In the Extremadura region of SW Spain, first clutches are laid from the second week of March until mid-July, with some 57% of the breeding pairs laying a second clutch, between mid-April and mid-July (Pajuelo et al. 1992). It might be that some others move north and breed again? From an adaptive point of view, such a strategy would make sense because the summer drought characteristic of the Mediterranean climate may impose certain constraints, e.g. by reducing food availability, on the number of chicks that can be reared later in the season. In fact, in the above-mentioned study in Extremadura, the average number of fledglings was 3.7 in first clutches and 3.0 in second ones (there were even third clutches for 5.8% of pairs, but the mean number of fledged chicks was then just 2.0). Unfortunately, ringing data do not provide any insight in this regard. The existence in migratory birds of such a strategy has been proven for Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) (see, for example, Guyomarc’h et al. 1998) and has also been suggested for Pallid Swifts (Apus pallidus) breeding in Arabia, which are strongly suspected to immediately vacate their breeding areas in June and then move north to breed again in Baluchistan, Iran (Jennings 2010), with a similar northward migration also being suspected in the case of Israeli breeders (G. Kirwan, pers. comm.).
References:
Pajuelo, L., de Lope, F. & da Silva, E. (1992). Biología de la reproducción del Avión Común (Delichon urbica) en Badajoz, España. Ardeola 39: 15–23.
Guyomarc’h, J. C., Combreau, O., Puigcerver, M., Fontoura, P., Aebischer, N. & Wallace, D. I. M. (1998). Quail, Coturnix coturnix. BWP Update 2: 27–46.
Jennings, M.C. (2010) Atlas of the Breedings Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission & Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh & Frankfurt am Main.
House Martin on the 20th of February in Albania
A House Martin (Delichon urbicum) was spotted yesterday above Tirana lake (Albania). Is it an early migrant or a wintering bird? In almost 25 years observations in the country, I have never seen it before nor wintering neither migrating so early. So what could it be? En early migrant? Or a wintering bird? are there cases of wintering in Europe? Thanks!
Dear Taulant
Dear Taulant
In Spain the species is regularly seen in the south in winter. Perhaps it is just very rare in winter in Albania, but in Andalusia is regularly seen in December-January.
Arnau
Delichon urbicum
Dear Arnau,
Many thanks for your information! It is I guess the first reported observation in Albana in winter. Other people/experts might have seen them but they have not reported any observation so far.
Thanks again,
Taulant