Photo: Cláudio Dias Timm from Rio Grande do Sul / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Grey-breasted Martin
Progne chalybea
Grey-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 19 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Grey-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea) is a member of the Hirundinidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 50 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Hirundinidae Swallows, Martins
- Genus Progne
- Species chalybea
Quick facts
- Weight
- 50 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Grey-breasted Martin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Grey-breasted Martin is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Grey-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea) is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA widespread.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 50 g, with a wing length of about 13.1 cm and a tail of around 6.6 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 15.6 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Grey-breasted Martin?
The Grey-breasted Martin is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 50 g.
Where does the Grey-breasted Martin live?
The Grey-breasted Martin is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA widespread, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Grey-breasted Martin belong to?
The Grey-breasted Martin (Progne chalybea) belongs to the Hirundinidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Grey-breasted Martin eat?
The Grey-breasted Martin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Grey-breasted Martin migrate?
The Grey-breasted Martin is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Grey-breasted Martin endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Grey-breasted Martin make?
1 real field recording of the Grey-breasted Martin — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Grey-breasted Martin's range?
The Grey-breasted Martin has a mapped global range of about 15.6 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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