house martin

Delichon urbica

• Smaller than swallows
   
• White rump
   
• Build mud nests under the eaves of houses
   
• Feed much higher than swallows and have shorter tail forks
  
  
• The white breast is dusky in the juvenile
   
• Song, often delivered from telephone lines, is a babbling twitter
   

Where found

Under the eaves of a building, or tucked under a ledge or a tiled roof. Often seen feeding over water or in open farmland with swallows.

Found throughout the UK, although less common in northern England and Scotland.
 

When to look for

• A summer visitor from late April.
   
• Most depart from Britain by October.