Photo: Wald1siedel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Western House Martin
Delichon urbicum
Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum) is a member of the Hirundinidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 14.5 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 Delichon
- Species urbicum
Quick facts
- Weight
- 14.5 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Urban & human-modified
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Western House Martin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of farmland, parks and gardens, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Western House Martin is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum) is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL widespread.
It is a very small bird. Adults weighs around 14.5 g, with a wing length of about 10.8 cm and a tail of around 6.1 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 16.4 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Western House Martin?
The Western House Martin is a very small bird that weighs around 14.5 g.
Where does the Western House Martin live?
The Western House Martin is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL widespread, where it adapts readily to towns, parks and gardens.
What family does the Western House Martin belong to?
The Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum) belongs to the Hirundinidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Western House Martin eat?
The Western House Martin is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Western House Martin migrate?
The Western House Martin is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Western House 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 Western House Martin make?
1 real field recording of the Western House Martin — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Western House Martin's range?
The Western House Martin has a mapped global range of about 16.4 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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