Would you like to know how to attract house martins or how to tell house martins and barn swallows apart? You can find out more about this and more in our special article.
The house martin (Delichon urbica / Delichon urbicum) is one of our most common swallow species. In summer, the gifted fliers can often be observed in residential areas such as villages or cities. With their typical, swallow-like flight pattern, they whiz through the air in search of food and nest under the roofs of buildings. They can also often be observed over water surfaces during their artistic flight manoeuvres. Find out how to recognize a house martin, how to distinguish it from other species and how you can offer the aerial artists a home in our large profile.
Town Swallow: Wanted Poster
| Size | Approx. 12 - 13 cm |
| Weight | About 20 g |
| Incubation | April - September |
| Lifetime | Up to 14 years |
| Habitat | Open Landscapes, Settlements, Cities |
| Food Preference | Flying Insects |
| Threats | Insect decline, loss of nesting sites |
How to recognize the house martin
Terrain martins are most commonly observed in flight. Then they show their tapering wings and the typical forked tail of swallows. House martins are clearly recognizable by their plain, light underside and black, blue, shiny upper side. Another important feature is the white lower back, also known as the rump, which contrasts wonderfully with the otherwise dark upper side in flight.
How do male and female house martins differ?
Male and female house martins are very difficult to tell apart. The only difference between the sexes is that the females have a slightly dirty-white throatpossess, while that of the males is pure white. However, this feature is very unreliable and almost undetectable to the untrained eye - and not even to experts in flight.
What does house martin's song sound like?
The song of house martins cannot necessarily be compared to the melodious song of other songbirds. It's more of an unstructured, chattering chirp, but sounds bright and eager. In flight, the house martins also call out a cheerful “Prrrriet”.
You can find out how the house martin sings in this audio recording:
How do you recognize a fledgling house martin?
Young house martins are already the image of their parents and can therefore be recognized early on by the high contrast between the underside and upper side and the white rump. However, what they still lack is the metallic blue luster in their plumage. The feathers of the young birds are still very dull and uniformly dark. In addition, the belly plumage is a bit dirty and the throat in particular is a bit darker than in the adult animals.
What do house martin eggs look like?
Terrain martins lay between three and five eggs, which are about 2 centimeters in size and pure white. The eggs are laid in an almost entirely enclosed nest made of clay and attached to the outside of buildings. The inside of the nest is lined with fine blades of grass or feathers.
What is the difference between house martins and barn swallows?
In addition to the house martin, the barn swallow is one of our most common native swallows. The two species can often be seen in the same areas and even hunt insects together. However, they can be distinguished very easily. In contrast to house martins, barn swallows have a dark throat and a brown-red face. In addition, they do not have a white rump and their tail tips are very long and thin, while the house martin's forked tail is rather short and compact.
Note: At long ranges, flight altitude can also help distinguish the two species. House Martins hunt their insects at a height of about 20 meters, while barn swallows usually only fly seven to eight meters high. However, this is not a hard and fast rule and of course house martins also hunt in lower layers of the air.
Which habitat do house martins prefer?
Torough martins are very diverse when it comes to their habitat. They occur in numerous open and semi-open landscapes - also in mountains and in city centers. A rich range of insects is important when choosing a habitat, which is why the swallows prefer a body of water nearby. In addition, suitable nesting sites are important, which the swallows find on the facades of buildings or on rock faces.
Where does the house martin build its nest?
The house martin always builds its nest under an overhang. This can be a natural rock overhang, but also a roof overhang or the substructure of a concrete bridge or balcony. The nests are made of clay, are hemispherical in shape and have only a small entrance hole. Old nests are often reused - by swallows as well as by other cavity breeders such as house sparrows or tits.
Terrain Swallows also like to breed in colonies, which is why several swallow nests are often built next to each other at one nesting site.
When is the house martin breeding season?
The breeding season of house martins is from April to September. The two partners alternate regularly with the incubation itself. Males and females incubate the eggs for 14 to 16 days. The young swallows then hatch and are fed copious amounts of flying insects by both parents until they are big enough to leave the nest. This can take up to 30 days. The young birds then make their first attempts to fly, but remain in the vicinity of the nest. In the first few weeks, they are also supported by their parents in the search for food. After that, however, the little ones are on their own and the adult animals often start with a second brood.
Where does the house martin spend the winter?
Torough martins only spend their breeding season with us. In late year they make their way south to escape the cold winter months. Since the swallows are dependent on the supply of flying insects, they would starve with us. That's why they winter south of the Sahara, where they find enough food in the rainforests of Africa.
Support the house martin in the garden: This is how it works
House martins are finding it increasingly difficult to build their nests on newfangled smooth facades. They are often driven out on purpose or their nests destroyed. If you want to offer the native birds a home, you can find out everything hereyou need to know about nesting boxes, food and other assistance.
What do house martins eat?
Terrain martins feed exclusively on flying insects. They are therefore not interested in stray feed or similar, well-intentioned feeding aids. But that doesn't mean you can't help the swallows in their daily struggle for food. The motto here is: Insect protection is bird protection. Therefore, do not use insect-harmful sprays in your own garden or when you go shopping. Because by buying organic products, you support sustainable and ecological agriculture that provides habitat and food for our native birds.
If you want to take that a step further and add some extra life to your garden, you can create a lawn with native flowers and herbs that will please insects and birds alike. By the way, you can do this very easily with our Plantura beneficial insect magnet. With this seed mixture, you can quickly and easily create a small paradise for a large number of small garden dwellers. And you can do even more by planting bird-friendly native shrubs to make your garden as natural as you can.
Which nest boxes are suitable for house martins?
House martins also like artificial nesting aids. However, these look a bit different than the typical tit boxes. House martins are usually hemispherical and - like the natural nest - closed all around except for a small entrance hole. You can attach the nesting aids to the outside of a house wall or garage. However, remember to clean the nest boxes once a year. This will prevent dirt and parasites from accumulating and increase the birds' chances of survival. The best time to do this is towards the end of winter, before the swallows return from their wintering grounds in April.
Tip: A manure board placed underneath the nest box avoids a dirty facade.
How can you support the house martin?
If you'd rather give the house martins a chance to build their own nest, providing clay soil can go a long way. Because the nesting material is not always easy to obtain and is in short supply, especially in dry times. By creating a smallpuddle in the garden you can therefore attract the birds. Alternatively, if your soil is sandy, you can simply offer loamy soil in a small bowl with some water.
And if you can spare a second bowl, it makes sense to set up a pure water point right away. Because on hot summer days, all garden birds are happy to cool off. However, be sure to clean the waterhole regularly to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. Especially at high temperatures, the risk of pathogens multiplying in the water increases - it is best to clean your water point daily during this time.
If you've caught bird fever and you want to learn more about garden birds, then have a look at our other species portraits of yellowhammer, magpie & Co.