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House Martin

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                 iHouse Martin
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Passeriformes
   Family:  Hirundinidae
   Genus:   Delichon
   Species: D. urbica

                                Binomial name

   Delichon urbica
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

                                  Synonyms

   Delichon urbicum

   The House Martin (Delichon urbica) is a migratory passerine of the
   family Hirundinidae.

   The European range of the House Martin roughly corresponds with that of
   its relative the Barn Swallow, and it also winters in tropical Africa.

   The adult House Martin is steel-blue above with a white rump, and white
   underparts; even its short legs and toes have white downy feathering.
   Its bill is black. The young bird is sooty black, and some of the
   coverts and quills have white tips and edgings.

   The white rump of the House Martin, very noticeable in flight, should
   prevent confusion with either the Swallow or Sand Martin. The first
   Martins arrive in Europe a few days after the Swallows, but it is often
   late in April before distribution is general.

   They travel with the later waves of incoming Swallows, and like them
   seldom go straight to the nesting sites, but hunt for food over large
   waters and roost in reeds.

   Nevertheless the bird is just as constant in returning to its old
   haunts, repairing the nest it built the year before, or making a new
   one close to the one in which it was reared. Though it travels with the
   swallow both in spring and autumn, its haunts differ slightly; it is
   more a bird of the dwelling house than the outbuilding.

   During the whole of its stay it constantly utters its chirrupy song, a
   sibilant twitter with a sound of "z" in it.

   Its food, and many of its habits, except those connected with nesting,
   are similar to those of the swallow; it alights more frequently, and,
   often aiding progression with uplifted wings, will walk a few steps
   when collecting mud or feeding.

   Undoubtedly the House Martin, before it found man providing shelter in
   the shape of overhanging eaves, was a cliff and cave dweller. Some
   colonies of cliff nesting martins still exist. Even on a bare cliff
   face the bird usually builds below an overhanging rock, and on houses
   the nests are close under the eaves so that they may be strengthened by
   attachment above.
   House Martin in flight
   Enlarge
   House Martin in flight

   The nest is a cup fixed below a suitable ledge. The entrance is so
   small that the interfering House Sparrow cannot invade once the nest is
   complete. The mud, added in successive layers, is collected from ponds,
   streams or puddles. Both birds work at construction.

   During construction there are frequent quarrels with trespassing
   sparrows, but if the sparrow remains in possession of a nest the
   martins build elsewhere.

   At all times the martin is sociable, and many nests are built actually
   in contact; 4 or 5 white eggs are laid as a rule in early June; second
   and third broods are common, and late nestlings are often left to
   starve.

   For weeks after leaving the nest the young congregate in ever
   increasing flocks which, as the season advances, may be seen gathering
   in trees or on housetops or on the wires with Swallows.

   By the end of October, most Martins have gone, though belated birds in
   November and December are not uncommon.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Martin"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
