Overview

Common House-Martin: Small swallow, metallic dark blue mantle and crown; wings and tail are black-gray. Forked tail. Solid white rump distinguishes it from other swallows. Legs covered in white down. Flight is graceful, swift and direct on rapidly beating wings. It soars on wide triangular wings.

Range and Habitat

Common House-Martin: Strongly migratory. Winters in tropical Africa; remains at breeding sites in Europe, Asia from April to October. Stray to Alaskan Bering Sea region. Found in varying open habitats, always near water, mud, and nesting sites. Often perches on utility cables.

Breeding and Nesting

Common House-Martin: Builds cup-shaped nest from mud pellets, feathers, and other light materials on vertical surfaces beneath protective overhangs. Often colonial. May reuse nests. Up to three broods per season; four to six white eggs are incubated for 13 to 19 days by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Common House-Martin: Flies for hours hunting insects. Prefers flies, aphids, beetles. Sometimes feeds while perched or clinging to vertical surfaces.

Vocalization

Common House-Martin: Song a nearly constant, fluid, chattering twitter with hissing or buzzing notes: "tseep, tseep, tseep." Call, a plaintive, chirping "prrrtt, prrrtt, prrrtt."

Similar Species

Common House-Martin: Only species with white rump and lacks streamers. Bank Swallow has brown-gray upperparts. Northern Rough-winged Swallow is darker gray. Tree Swallow most similar; lacks white rump. Violet-green Swallow white on cheek and above eye. White-throated Needletail has stubby tail. Fork-tailed Swift has deeply-forked tail.