Western House Martin

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Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Villages, coastal cliffs (summer).
Diet: Aerial insects.
Best time to spot: Mud nests under eaves; white rump.

When to look

A summer visitor, typically in the UK from April to October. Numbers peak in May. See the May birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Western House Martin sits in our Common tier for the UK: one of the birds you can expect on most days out in the right habitat. It is Red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the highest level of concern in the UK.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Common SwiftCommon · Skies above towns
• Eastern Black RedstartEpic · Coastal cliffs (very rare race)
• Little TernRare · Coastal shingle (summer)
• Northern WheatearUncommon · Open uplands
• RazorbillUncommon · Sea-cliffs (summer)
• Sandwich TernUncommon · Coastal colonies (summer)

Tell it apart

Side-by-side ID guides: Swift vs Swallow vs House Martin.

Kit that helps

Best nest boxes for UK birds. Affiliate links, our own picks, no extra cost to you.