Sand Martin

How to identify

Field marks

1. A single narrow rufous band across the breast
2. Upperparts rufous, underparts white
3. Bill black, legs and feet rufous
4. Flight fast, hurried and jerky

Male, female and young

Juvenile has rufous tips to the coverts and rufous feather edges on the secondaries.

Voice

Gives continuous harsh twitters in flight, becoming a quiet, conversational sound after landing.

Similar species

Pale Martin

Pale Martin has paler grayish-rufous upperparts and less distinct stripes on the breast.

Western House Martin

Sand Martin is distinguished by its brown back, breast-band, white throat, small size, and fast, hurried flight.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, United Kingdom

Sand Martin has been recorded at 3,906 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 189 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Lincoln Park, ChicagoUnited States11,030 records
2. Point Pelee National ParkCanada5,749 records
3. Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,719 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomSpainPortugalIsraelMexicoChina

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 sand martin (Riparia riparia), also known as the collared sand martin or common sand martin, and in the Americas as the bank swallow, is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the whole Holarctic area, from Europe, across Asia to the Pacific Ocean, and throughout North America. It winters in eastern and southern Africa, southern Asia, and South America.

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

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