6-8-2023 LLUTXENT, VALENCIA - COMMON HOUSE MARTIN (JUVENILE)

The western house martin was originally a cliff and cave nester, and some cliff-nesting colonies still exist, with the nests built below an overhanging rock. It now largely uses human structures such as bridges and houses. Unlike the barn swallow, it uses the outside of inhabited buildings, rather than the inside of barns or stables. The nests are built at the junction of a vertical surface and an overhang, such as on house eaves, so that they may be strengthened by attachment to both planes.

3-7-2021 GANDIA PRADA, VALENCIA - COMMON HOUSE MARTIN (JUVENILE) (Delichon urbicum)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64705-Delichon-urbicum

 

23-6-2019 ADOR, VALENCIA - COMMON HOUSE MARTIN (JUVENILE) (Delichon urbicum)

29-5-2017 GENOVES, VALENCIA - COMMON HOUSE MARTIN (JUVENILE) (Delichon urbicum)

25-5-2015 ROTOVA, VALENCIA - COMMON HOUSE MARTIN (JUVENILE) (Delichon urbicum)

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.