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 - click on the recording below to listen:

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

Fabulous house martin facts

• They spend their winters in Africa and on arrival in the UK in spring will often feed over wetlands for a time before returning to their traditional nest sites
  
  
• Originally nesting on cliff faces, they are now mostly associated with man and their nests can be found on all kinds of buildings, beneath bridges and even on street lamps
  
  
• They feed on insects in the air and spend much of their time on the wing collecting prey
  
  
• The female lays up to five white eggs in a clutch