Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Common House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Common House Martin

Common House Martin

Delichon urbicum

The Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum), sometimes known as the Common House Martin, is a migratory passerine bird belonging to the swallow family. It is characterized by a blue head and upperparts, a distinctive white rump, and pure white underparts. This species exhibits sexual dimorphism, with both sexes appearing similar, and juveniles displaying a sooty black coloration with white-tipped wing coverts and quills.

Identification Tips

Adults measure approximately 13 cm in length, with a wingspan ranging from 26 to 29 cm and an average weight of 18.3 grams. They possess brown eyes, a small black bill, and pink toes and exposed leg parts. The white rump and underparts are particularly noticeable in flight, aiding in distinguishing them from other swallows.

Habitat

The Western House Martin favors open country with low vegetation, such as pastures, meadows, and farmland, often near water. It is also found in urban areas and can nest in city centers if air quality permits.

Distribution

This bird breeds across Europe, North Africa, and the Palearctic, migrating to sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia for the winter. It is a broad-front migrant, traveling during daylight and feeding on insects in flight.

Behaviour

The Western House Martin is a social bird, often breeding colonially with nests built in close proximity. It is known for its aerial agility, which it uses to evade predators such as the Eurasian Hobby.

Song & Calls

The male's song is a soft twitter of melodious chirps, while the contact call is a hard "chirrrp." The alarm call is a shrill "tseep."

Breeding

Nests are constructed from mud pellets under eaves or similar overhangs on buildings, usually in colonies. The species is known to produce two broods per year, with four to five white eggs per brood. Juveniles fledge after 22 to 32 days and are fed by parents for about a week thereafter.

Similar Species

The Western House Martin can be confused with the Asian House Martin (D. dasypus) and the Nepal House Martin (D. nipalense), but it is the only one with a pure white rump and underparts.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists primarily of insects caught in flight, with a preference for flies and aphids. Hunting typically occurs within 450 meters of the nest and often near open ground or water.

Conservation status

The Western House Martin is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with an extensive range and large population. However, there are indications of population fluctuations and declines in certain regions, attributed to factors such as weather, pesticides, and competition for nesting sites.

Common House Martin Sounds



Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Common House Martins on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Swallows, Martins

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
778
Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Nicole
Gets me outdoors more
I'm still loving this app. I use it most days & gets me outdoors more. Enjoying watching others progress and photo's, it's improved my wellbeing.... I love this app! I can keep a record of sightings and see what others have seen too.
Robred 2
Fun way to add to your birdwatching experience
I enjoy watching birds in my backyard, but this app helped me really pay attention while on vacation this summer. It was fun to add new birds to my bird watching app.
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Birdafan
Ideal Birdwatch Companion
Simply adds to the enjoyment of my birdwatching and helps me record what I’ve seen.
Erna M
I really like Birda
I really like Birda. I also use other birding apps and have Birda with E-bird going at the same time.
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.