Martin, House

The adult common house martin of the western nominate race is 13 cm long, with a wing span of 26–29 cm and a weight averaging 18.3 g. It is steel-blue above with a white rump, and white underparts, including the underwings; even its short legs have white downy feathering. It has brown eyes and a small black bill, and its toes and exposed parts of the legs are pink. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile bird is sooty black, and some of its wing coverts and quills have white tips and edgings. D. u. lagopodum differs from the nominate race in that its white rump extends much further onto the tail, and the fork of its tail is intermediate in depth between that of D. u. urbicum and that of the Asian house martin.

Latin Name
Delichon urbicum

When the bird was spotted

Date Location Title Seen by Interestingness
France, Leymen In the garden mike421 ***
UK, Teesside and the North York Moors Coatham Marsh b.m.stokesley ***
UK, Teesside and the North York Moors Stokesley b.m.stokesley ***
Germany, Marktrodach Höfels Hühnerhabicht ***
Germany, Marktrodach in the high spruces in the garden Hühnerhabicht *
Germany, Dagebüll near farm Hühnerhabicht *
UK, not specified Tywyn b.m.stokesley ***
Germany, Marktrodach Höfels Hühnerhabicht
UK, Teesside and the North York Moors Stokesley b.m.stokesley ***
France, Leymen In the garden mike421 ***
Germany, Kandern Feuerbach, in village centre Hühnerhabicht ***
Germany, Marktrodach flying over a field Hühnerhabicht
France, Leymen In the garden mike421
Germany, Kandern flying above my balcony Hühnerhabicht *
UK, Teesside and the North York Moors River Leven near Great Ayton b.m.stokesley ***
France, Leymen Flying overhead in the garden mike421 ***
Portugal, Algarve Faro b.m.stokesley
UK, Teesside and the North York Moors Roseberry topping mike421 *
UK, Teesside and the North York Moors Nesting over South Entrance of James Cook Hospital b.m.stokesley
UK, Lake District Patterdale Hall b.m.stokesley
France, Leymen Starting to nest on the house mike421 **
Switzerland, Obersaxen In Rhine valley wphu **
Spain, Mallorca Albufereta Nature Reserve b.m.stokesley
France, Leymen Flying around mike421 ***
France, Leymen House martins around the house mike421