Grey-throated Martin (Riparia chinensis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Grey-throated Martin

Riparia chinensis (Gray, JE, 1830)

≈12 cmLength9.8 gWeight

This small swallow often occurs in open habitats such as farmland and grassland near water.

Busiest months: December · Most records: China, India, Nepal

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: December · Most records: China, India, Nepal

Grey-throated Martin has been recorded at 339 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)3,834 records
  2. Hualien River Estuary IBATaiwan (China)1,283 records
  3. Aogu Wetland IBATaiwan (China)1,218 records
More places
  1. Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia1,024 records
  2. Lizejian IBA – 52-Jia WetlandTaiwan (China)939 records
  3. Okhla Bird SanctuaryIndia885 records
  4. Yilan – Dingliao Ecological ParkTaiwan (China)850 records
  5. Sultanpur National ParkIndia836 records
  6. Lanyang River Estuary IBA – XinnanTaiwan (China)814 records
  7. Lanyang River Estuary IBATaiwan (China)790 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaIndiaNepalBangladeshPakistanCambodiaMyanmar (Burma)Vietnam

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The grey-throated martin or Asian plain martin (Riparia chinensis) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Grey-throated Martin?

The Grey-throated Martin is about ≈12 cm long and weighs around 9.8 g.

Where does the Grey-throated Martin live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: central, eastern, Southeast Asia. It is most often recorded in China, India and Nepal.

When is the best time to see the Grey-throated Martin?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Grey-throated Martin endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Grey-throated Martin as Least Concern.

What does the Grey-throated Martin eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Grey-throated Martin in?

It belongs to the family Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈12 cm
Weight
9.8 g
Habitat
Wetland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
90 mm
Tail
42 mm
Bill
9 mm
Tarsus
11 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: central, eastern, Southeast Asia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1
  • Riparia chinensis chinensis Tajikistan and n Afghanistan to s China, Indochina and Taiwan (China)

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Swallows, Martins Hirundinidae
Genus
Riparia

Other birds in the genus Riparia

Brown-throated MartinBrown-throated MartinRiparia paludicolaMadagascar MartinMadagascar MartinRiparia cowaniCongo MartinCongo MartinRiparia congicaSand MartinSand MartinRiparia ripariaPale MartinPale MartinRiparia dilutaAfrican River MartinAfrican River MartinPseudochelidon eurystominaWhite-eyed River MartinWhite-eyed River MartinPseudochelidon sirintaraeSquare-tailed Saw-wingSquare-tailed Saw-wingPsalidoprocne nitensWhite-headed Saw-wingWhite-headed Saw-wingPsalidoprocne albicepsMountain Saw-wingMountain Saw-wingPsalidoprocne fuliginosa
Grey-throated Martin

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by lava_chen. ↗

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