All species
summer visitor
Amber-listedSwallows and martins
Common House Martin
A compact aerial specialist with glossy blue-black upperparts, clean white underparts and a short forked tail. House martins build mud nests under the eaves of houses and barns.
Delichon urbicum
Urban Open country Farmland Coastal
Size
12-13 cm
Wingspan
26-29 cm
Weight
15-20 g
Lifespan
2-5 years
Diet
Flying insects caught on the wing: aphids, flies, beetles and small spiders.
Song & Call
A hard, twittering 'prrrt' or 'tsirr' call, often given in flight.
Tap play to listen0:00
Speed
Visualizer
Recording by British Library Sound Archive · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
How to identify
- Glossy blue-black upperparts
- Pure white underparts
- Short forked tail
- White rump
Conservation
Amber-listed
Amber-listed; depends on muddy nest sites and healthy insect populations.
