House martin

House martin in flight

The house martin is a summer visitor, familiar to many homeowners for the mud nest it builds under the eaves of houses.

These nests are constructed with over 1000 pellets of mud carried from the edges of nearby muddy puddles and tracks.

Other birds often attempt to take over the nest of house martins - the house sparrow is a frequent culprit. 

Anecdotal observation has suggested a stable or declining population, but suitable evidence to substantiate this has been lacking.

In some areas, it would appear larger house martin colonies have either disappeared or contracted in size, only to be replaced by several smaller, widely dispersed colonies.

The species remains one of the enigmas of the bird world. Despite the fact that almost 300,000 house martins have been ringed, we are still not fully clear as to where exactly in Africa they winter!

What do house martins need?

An abundant supply of insects is critical. House martins hunt for insects over a wide area and range of open habitats; particularly over meadows and open water. On average, they feed approximately 0.5 km from the nest, but have been known to feed as much as 2 km away.  

They nest beneath the eaves of houses, with a general preference for north and east facing walls. In order to construct their nests, they require a ready supply of damp mud, gathered from the edges of ponds, rivers and puddles on tracks.  

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