FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
The common house martin (Delichon urbicum) is also called the northern house martin. It belongs to the order Passeriformes family Hirundinidae. These birds are commonly found in Europe, North Africa, Palearctic, Sub Saharan Africa, and Asia. The common house martin of genus Delichon has recently been diverted as a separate species from the barn swallows, from Europe, of genus Hirundo urbica. The common house martin has two subspecies viz D. u. Urbicum, the western subspecies, and D. u. Lagopodous, the eastern subspecies. Their breeding grounds are different. These birds eat flying insects the most in march when their reproduction is near. The reproduction of common house martins occurs two times a year. Read on to know more about this species of birds. After reading about this bird from Asia, you may also look at our articles on the vulture guineafowl and martial eagle.
A common house martin from the order Passeriformes family Hirundinidae is a bird. Martins can be found in European cities and are often seen together in a flock.
A common house martin of genus Delichon belongs to the bird class of animals.
There are estimated to be around 48 million northern house martins in the world.
A common house martin habitat is in the woods of sub-saharan Africa. They prepare their nests in the mud.
A common house martin lives in open and semi-open habitats. The nesting sites of these birds include pastures, meadows, and farmlands. In some instances, the species is spotted even in the mountains. They prefer to build their mud pellets nests, in march, near water sources. That is to ensure they have an abundant water supply during the nesting period. Their nests are shaped like an upside-down concave surface. They sleep in their nests. Some cliff-nesting colonies are also found. Apart from the wilds, this species also builds nests near buildings, roofs, and sheds. Unlike barn swallows, the northern house martin prefers urban habitats. The Eastern subspecies are usually found in the east and the Western subspecies are found in the west.
A northern house martin lives in colonies with other birds of their species. Small colonies range from 3-10 nests, whereas large colonies can have up to 1,000 nests.
A common house martin lives for around two years. That is pretty average for the birds of flight in this family.
Common house martins are monogamous birds, this species conduct breeding with the same partner for life. But extra-pair copulations are observed widely in this species when the males leave the nest. The breeding season of these birds usually starts in March. Before the breeding season starts, the males and females of a couple build a nest together in March to lay eggs. The wintering grounds are situated in eastern and western Africa. There can be two broods in a year. The common house martin eggs have an incubation period of 14-16 days. Both martins’ parents take care of the young one until the winter ends since the newborn is not capable of surviving the winter cold on its own.
The conservation status of this species is Least Concern as their population is quite stable in the wild.
The physical description of common house martins is as follows. Common house martins have a steel blue upper part of their body. Their wings are almost completely blue. The lower part is pure white in color. Their beak is short, thin, and black in color. They have a white rump which is very prominent. Their legs and toes are covered in white feathers. This species has small brown colored eyes and a forked tail which is shallower than the swallows. Common House Martins resemble the Nepal House Martins, from Asia, very closely.
Common house martins are very cute birds. Their color aesthetic is excellent and they look very beautiful. Their small size adds to their cuteness.
Common house martins have different sounds where each sound has a specific meaning. On encountering danger, the northern house martins raise alarm calls which sound like 'tsitsitsitsier'. Apart from that, their usual sounds are 'prrrrt' and 'pri-pit', which they use for the description of situations. They also have a specific sound for the breeding season to attract a mate for breeding. The calls of these breeds are not that loud.
A common house martin is a small bird. Their length is usually around 5.1 in (12.95 cm). They are smaller than sparrows but at least five times bigger than bees. They are in between barn martins and swallows in size.
A common house martin can fly at the speed of 24.5 mph (39.4 kph). Their light wings allow swift flight. They bend their wings backward to gain speed during the flight.
An adult, common house martin weight, ranges between 0.6-0.7 oz (0.017-0.019 kg).
There are no specific names given to the males and females of the common house martin species. They are known as males and females respectively.
A baby, common house martin, can be called a chick.
The common house martin diet most commonly includes flying insects. The flying insects also include flying ants.
Common house martins are not dangerous to humans. They hardly bother humans but are protective of their nests. Humans usually do not disturb their nests.
The common house martin would definitely make a good pet. Martins need a proper diet and nutrition, and good habitat. Make sure you keep your martin safe from other pets.
The breeding (wintering) grounds of common house martins are situated in Africa.
In Europe, a common house martin is just called house martin.
Common house martins are hunted by the Eurasian hobby.
Common house martins return to the same nesting places every year.
Swallows look very similar to the common house martins.
This species is known to hybridize with the barn swallow. But these birds are more urban as compared to the barn swallow and have a shallower tail fork.
A group of house martins is called a colony or a richness.
It usually takes around two weeks to build a new common house martin nest from scratch. The nest is built with soft mud pellets from ponds. The mud pellets are lined to make it softer with grass and feathers. The shape of the nest is half-spherical with a small opening at the top.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our green-winged teal facts and smew facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable common house martin coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
Was this article helpful?
We’ll send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out.
Check your inbox for your latest news from us. You have subscribed to:
Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter.