Common House Martin
Delichon urbicum
Aerial. Above metallic blue with white rump; below white. Tail with shallow fork.
Martins
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Common summer visitor. The only martin with blue upper parts, white rump and white underparts. Immature (with off-white rump) told from [Grey-rumped Swallow] by blue cap (not grey-brown) and only slightly forked tail. The call is a single dry ‘chirrup’. Flocks occur anywhere, often associated with [Barn Swallow] flocks, from which it can be told in the air by smaller, more compact appearance, squarer tail and white rump. Flocks habitually forage at high altitudes, but singletons often seen in mixed swallow flocks lower down.
Quick Facts
Size
14 cm - S
Names
A: Huisswael
Z: inhlolamvula yasekhaya
Ss: Lekabelane-Nkatatshweu
G: Mehlschwalbe
Bird Family
The name martin is loosely applied to certain close relatives of swallows, particularly species of the genus *Riparia* and their allies. Generally, with the exception of the House Martin, martins have brown plumage and square tails, and while some martins build typical swallow-type mud nests, most breed in holes in cliffs or banks.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
