Pale Martin (Riparia diluta)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Pale Martin

Riparia diluta (Sharpe & Wyatt, 1893)

12–13 cmLength15 gWeight

This small gray-brown martin is white from the throat to the undertail-coverts and often occurs in small flocks.

Busiest months: May–June · Most records: China, Mongolia, India

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Head and upperparts gray-brown
  2. White from throat to undertail-coverts, with a gray-brown wash on the breast
  3. Primaries black, reaching the tail feathers when perched
  4. Bill black, slender, short and pointed

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May–June · Most records: China, Mongolia, India

Pale Martin has been recorded at 320 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 16 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Khovd Bird Ringing Station, Khovd, MNMongolia96 records
  2. Ugii Lake, Ugiinuur, Arkhangai, MNMongolia95 records
  3. Rubber Mountain PassChina75 records
More places
  1. Corbett NP – DhikalaIndia73 records
  2. Asan Conservation ReserveIndia60 records
  3. Xiaobeihu Freshwater MarshChina55 records
  4. Qingshan LakeChina50 records
  5. Boon Tsagan NuurMongolia42 records
  6. Bayan Lake, Bayannuur, Bulgan, MNMongolia39 records
  7. Xining Ning Hu WetlandChina36 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaMongoliaIndiaKazakhstanPakistanKyrgyzstanUnited Arab EmiratesNepal

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

Questions

How big is the Pale Martin?

The Pale Martin is about 12–13 cm long and weighs around 15 g.

Where does the Pale Martin live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: central. It is most often recorded in China, Mongolia and India.

When is the best time to see the Pale Martin?

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

Is the Pale Martin endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Pale Martin as Least Concern.

What does the Pale Martin eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Pale Martin in?

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

At a glance

Length
12–13 cm
Weight
15 g
Habitat
Rivers & streams
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
99 mm
Tail
50 mm
Bill
9 mm
Tarsus
11 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: central

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 3
  • Riparia diluta diluta s, e Kazakhstan, n Kyrgyzstan, e, s Uzbekistan, w Tajikistan, c, sc, sw Siberia, n Mongolia and nw, ne China | non-breeding: to e Pakistan and w, nw India
  • Riparia diluta tibetana sw, sc China (Tibetan Plateau) | non-breeding: to n, c India and w Bhutan
  • Riparia diluta fohkienensis c, e China | non-breeding: to s 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 cowaniGrey-throated MartinGrey-throated MartinRiparia chinensisCongo MartinCongo MartinRiparia congicaSand MartinSand MartinRiparia ripariaAfrican 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
Pale Martin

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

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