| Western house martin | |
|---|---|
| |
| near Bredstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany | |
| Song recorded in Ceredigion, Wales | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Hirundinidae |
| Genus: | Delichon |
| Species: | D. urbicum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Delichon urbicum | |
| |
| Range of D. urbicum Breeding Passage Non-breeding
| |
| Synonyms | |
The western house martin (Delichon urbicum), sometimes called the common house martin, northern house martin or, particularly in Europe, just house martin, is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and across the Palearctic; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia. It feeds on insects which are caught in flight, and it migrates to climates where flying insects are plentiful. It has a blue head and upperparts, white rump and pure white underparts, and is found in both open country and near human habitation. It is similar in appearance to the two other martin species of the genus Delichon, which are both endemic to eastern and southern Asia. It has two accepted subspecies.
Both the scientific and colloquial name of the bird are related to its use of human-made structures. It builds a closed cup nest from mud pellets under eaves or similar locations on buildings usually in colonies.
It is hunted by the Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), and like other birds is affected by internal parasites and external fleas and mites. Although its large range and population mean that it is not threatened globally.
- ^ BirdLife International (2017) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Delichon urbicum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103811886A118748864. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T103811886A118748864.en. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Delichon urbicum (Linnaeus, 1758)". Natural History Museum. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ For Hirundo urbica see for instance: Keulemans, John Gerrard (1873). [Our birds in home and garden / The house martin] (in Dutch). Leyden: P.W.M. Trap. OCLC 65734149 (all editions) – via Wikisource.
- ^ For Chelidon urbica see for instance Bonhote, J. Lewis (1907). Birds of Britain. illustrated by H.E. Dresser. London: Adam and Charles Black. pp. 112/3. OCLC 1451688.. John Gould uses Chelidon urbica for the house-martin in his The Birds of Great Britain (vol. 2, 1873, plate 6). In The Birds of Europe (vol. 2, 1837, plate 57) he calls the martin Hirundo urbica (Linn.)