Listen to the western house martin
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the western house martin
The western house martin is a bird in the family Hirundinidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 29 cm.
What does the western house martin sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
From Wikipedia
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 west-central Asia; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and southwestern 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.
More from the family Hirundinidae
Barn swallow
Hirundo rustica
Sand martin
Riparia riparia
Eurasian crag martin
Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Eastern red-rumped swallow
Cecropis daurica
Wire-tailed swallow
Hirundo smithii
Tree swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Cliff swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Purple martin
Progne subis
Lesser striped swallow
Cecropis abyssinica
Blue-and-white swallow
Pygochelidon cyanoleuca
Violet-green swallow
Tachycineta thalassina
White-banded swallow
Atticora fasciata
Frequently asked questions
What does a western house martin sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the western house martin on this page. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the western house martin endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the western house martin as “least concern”.
What family does the western house martin belong to?
The western house martin (Delichon urbicum) belongs to the family Hirundinidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Delichon urbicum contact call by This image is created by user Justin Jansen at Waarneming.nl , a source of nature observations in the Netherlands. – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q26055 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Western house martin – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by MPF – CC BY 2.5