House Martin ( Delichon urbica )
House Martin - House Martin information - House Martin facts
The House martin lives all around Europe and is also spread in Asia apart from the far north. It spends winter in Africa north and south of the Sahara desert. Its population has been increased last years, as there are more buildings in rural areas. In the past they used to nest on the cliff faces, but these days their nests can be found almost everywhere, on all types of buildings, beneath bridges, street lamps, sites etc.
Delichon urbica is 13 cm in size, which is about 5 inches. It has got an agile body. The plumage is dark blue on the head and on the back. Its wings are black with a white under-part. The chest and belly are white as well. Sexes are alike.
The martins tend to live in large groups, they are very sociable. These groups may have several hundreds or even thousands of individuals. They prefer to spend most of their time in an open country, however it should be somewhere close to water. Their nest is cup shaped and made of mud and grass. Its construction takes approximately two weeks. As already mentioned it can be situated almost everywhere. Their diet consists mainly from flying invertebrates. These are often found by the street lamps at night. The female martins have up to five eggs that are white.
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