Asian House Martin
Encyclopedia
The Asian House Martin (Delichon dasypus) is a migratory
passerine
bird
of the swallow
family Hirundinidae. It has mainly blue-black upperparts, other than its white rump, and has pale grey underparts. Its three subspecies
breed in the Himalayas
and in central and eastern Asia, and spend the winter lower in the mountains or in Southeast Asia
. This species is locally abundant and is expanding northward in Siberia, so there are no concerns about its conservation status.
This martin breeds in colonies, building mud nests under an overhang on a vertical cliff or the wall of a building. Both sexes build the nest
, incubate the three or four white eggs
and feed the chicks. The Asian House Martin feeds on small insect
s taken in flight, usually caught high in the air. The presence of terrestrial springtail
s and Lepidoptera larva
e in its diet indicates that food is sometime picked from the ground.
by French naturalist
and ornithologist
Charles Lucien Bonaparte
in 1850 as Chelidon dasypus, shortly before it was moved to the new genus Delichon by British entomologist Frederic Moore
and American naturalist Thomas Horsfield
in 1854. Delichon is an anagram
of the Ancient Greek term χελιδών (chelīdōn), meaning 'swallow', and dasypus is from Greek δασύπους "rough-legged". This martin's closest relatives are the two other members of the Delichon genus, the Nepal House Martin
and the Common House Martin.
There are three subspecies:
D. d. cashmiriensis has brighter blue upperparts and a whiter rump than the slightly larger nominate race. The third, smallest, race is D. d. nigrimentalis, All three subspecies can be distinguished from the similar Nepal House Martin by the latter species' black chin, black undertail coverts
and much squarer tail. Asian House Martin is more similar to Common House Martin, but is darker underneath and has a less deeply forked tail. Confusion is most likely between adult male Asian House Martins, which have paler underparts, and the eastern race of Common House Martin, D. urbicum lagopus which has a less forked tail than the western subspecies, although it still shows a more pronounced fork than Asian.
This species’ song is a rippling metallic trill, and is a sibilant twitter, and call is a dry metallic cheep, often with two or three syllables. It is similar to that of Common House Martin, but more rasping.
, the Kuril Islands
, Japan
and sometimes Korea
. It migrates
through eastern China to winter in the Malay Peninsula
, Borneo, the Philippines
Java
and Sumatra
; a few birds remain around hot springs in Japan. D. d. cashmeriensis breeds in the Himalayas from Afghanistan
east to Sikkim
and northwards into Tibet
and western and central China. It is found between 1500–5000 m (4,921.3–16,404.2 ft) altitude, although mainly in the 2400–4000 m (7,874–13,123.4 ft) range. This martin is a short-range migrant, mainly wintering at lower altitudes in the foothills of the Himalayas, but with some birds on the plains of northeastern India, and smaller numbers further afield in Burma and northern Thailand. The third race, D. d. nigrimentalis, breeds in southeastern China and southern Siberia. Its wintering grounds are unknown, but birds in Taiwan just move to lower altitudes in winter. Non-breeding Asian House Martins have been recorded as far west as the United Arab Emirates
. The range of D. d. cashmeriensis overlaps with that of the Nepal House Martin, although they breed at somewhat different altitudes. The height separation and the small differences in appearance seem sufficient to prevent interbreeding.
The preferred habitat of the Asian House Martin is valleys and gorges in mountainous areas or coastal cliffs, where natural caves or crevices provide nest sites. It will also breed on large man-made sites like temples, hotels or power stations. This martin tends to move to lower altitude open or hilly country in its wintering areas, although it has been recorded at up to 2565 m (8,415.4 ft) in Thailand.
research area to be of the open type, and the Himalayan subspecies D. d. cashmiriensis has also been recorded as building a shallow cup nest.
The normal clutch is three or four (occasionally up to six) plain white eggs averaging 20.2 by 14.1 mm (0.795275590551181 by 0.55511811023622 ) and weighing 2.1 g (0.0740753204207351 oz). The incubation and fledging times are unknown, but are probably similar to those of the Common House Martin, which has an incubation period of 14 to 16 days until the eggs hatch, and a further 22 to 32 days to fledging. Both sexes build the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
, aphid
and Hymenoptera
such as winged ants. A wide range of other insects are caught, including Lepidoptera
, beetle
s and lacewing
s. The presence in the diet of terrestrial springtail
s and Lepidoptera larva
e iindicate that food is sometime picked from the ground.
. The predators of this martin appear to be little studied, but are presumably similar to those of the Common House Martin, namely fast flying falcons such as Oriental Hobby
which can chase down their prey in flight.
. This species is locally abundant and appears to be expanding its range northwards in southern Siberia
.
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
of the swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
family Hirundinidae. It has mainly blue-black upperparts, other than its white rump, and has pale grey underparts. Its three subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
breed in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and in central and eastern Asia, and spend the winter lower in the mountains or in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. This species is locally abundant and is expanding northward in Siberia, so there are no concerns about its conservation status.
This martin breeds in colonies, building mud nests under an overhang on a vertical cliff or the wall of a building. Both sexes build the nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
, incubate the three or four white eggs
Bird egg
Bird eggs are laid by females and incubated for a time that varies according to the species; a single young hatches from each egg. Average clutch sizes range from one to about 17...
and feed the chicks. The Asian House Martin feeds on small insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s taken in flight, usually caught high in the air. The presence of terrestrial springtail
Springtail
Springtails form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects...
s and Lepidoptera larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e in its diet indicates that food is sometime picked from the ground.
Taxonomy
The Asian House Martin was first formally described from a bird collected in BorneoBorneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
by French naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French naturalist and ornithologist.-Biography:...
in 1850 as Chelidon dasypus, shortly before it was moved to the new genus Delichon by British entomologist Frederic Moore
Frederic Moore
Frederic Moore FZS was a British entomologist. It has been said that Moore was born at 33 Bruton Street but may be incorrect given that this was the address of the menagerie and office of the Zoological Society of London from 1826 to 1836.Moore was appointed an assistant in the East India Company...
and American naturalist Thomas Horsfield
Thomas Horsfield
Thomas Horsfield M. D. was an American physician and naturalist.Horsfield was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the grandson of Timothy Horsfield, Sr., a colonel and justice of the peace in Bethlehem, and a friend mentioned in Benjamin...
in 1854. Delichon is an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of the Ancient Greek term χελιδών (chelīdōn), meaning 'swallow', and dasypus is from Greek δασύπους "rough-legged". This martin's closest relatives are the two other members of the Delichon genus, the Nepal House Martin
Nepal House Martin
The Nepal House Martin is a non-migratory passerine of the swallow family Hirundinidae. Its two subspecies breed in the Himalayas from northwestern India through Nepal to Burma, northern Vietnam, and just into China...
and the Common House Martin.
There are three subspecies:
- D. d. dasypus, the nominate subspecies described by Bonaparte, which breeds in eastern Russia and nearby islands
- D. d. cashmeriensis, the Himalayan and central Asian form described by English ornithologistOrnithologyOrnithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
John GouldJohn GouldJohn Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
in 1858 from a KashmirKashmirKashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
i specimen obtained by Andrew Leith AdamsAndrew Leith AdamsAndrew Leith Adams was a Scottish physician, naturalist and geologist. He was the father of the writer Francis Adams.-Life and career:...
, - D. d. nigrimentalis, the form which is found in the south east of the breeding range, was described by German ornithologist Ernst HartertErnst HartertErnst Johann Otto Hartert was a German ornithologist. Hartert was born in Hamburg. He was employed by Lionel Walter Rothschild as ornithological curator of his private museum at Tring from 1892 to 1929....
in 1910 from a specimen taken in FujianFujian' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, southeast China.
Description
The adult Asian House Martin of the nominate subspecies is 12 cm (4.7 in) long, dark steel blue above with a contrasting white rump, grey-washed white underparts, and a slightly forked tail. The tail and upperwings are brownish-black, and the underwings are grey-brown. The legs and feet are brownish-pink and covered with white feathers, the eyes are brown, and the bill is black. There are few differences in appearance between the sexes, although the male is somewhat whiter below than the female, especially in fresh plumage. The juvenile bird is less glossy and has dark brown upperparts, sometimes with a brownish wash to the rump, and grey-white underparts.D. d. cashmiriensis has brighter blue upperparts and a whiter rump than the slightly larger nominate race. The third, smallest, race is D. d. nigrimentalis, All three subspecies can be distinguished from the similar Nepal House Martin by the latter species' black chin, black undertail coverts
Covert (feather)
A covert feather on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts, which as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail.- Wing-coverts :...
and much squarer tail. Asian House Martin is more similar to Common House Martin, but is darker underneath and has a less deeply forked tail. Confusion is most likely between adult male Asian House Martins, which have paler underparts, and the eastern race of Common House Martin, D. urbicum lagopus which has a less forked tail than the western subspecies, although it still shows a more pronounced fork than Asian.
This species’ song is a rippling metallic trill, and is a sibilant twitter, and call is a dry metallic cheep, often with two or three syllables. It is similar to that of Common House Martin, but more rasping.
Distribution and habitat
The nominate subspecies of the Asian House Martin, D. d. dasypus, breeds in the southeast of RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and sometimes Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. It migrates
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
through eastern China to winter in the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, Borneo, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
; a few birds remain around hot springs in Japan. D. d. cashmeriensis breeds in the Himalayas from Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
east to Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
and northwards into Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and western and central China. It is found between 1500–5000 m (4,921.3–16,404.2 ft) altitude, although mainly in the 2400–4000 m (7,874–13,123.4 ft) range. This martin is a short-range migrant, mainly wintering at lower altitudes in the foothills of the Himalayas, but with some birds on the plains of northeastern India, and smaller numbers further afield in Burma and northern Thailand. The third race, D. d. nigrimentalis, breeds in southeastern China and southern Siberia. Its wintering grounds are unknown, but birds in Taiwan just move to lower altitudes in winter. Non-breeding Asian House Martins have been recorded as far west as the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. The range of D. d. cashmeriensis overlaps with that of the Nepal House Martin, although they breed at somewhat different altitudes. The height separation and the small differences in appearance seem sufficient to prevent interbreeding.
The preferred habitat of the Asian House Martin is valleys and gorges in mountainous areas or coastal cliffs, where natural caves or crevices provide nest sites. It will also breed on large man-made sites like temples, hotels or power stations. This martin tends to move to lower altitude open or hilly country in its wintering areas, although it has been recorded at up to 2565 m (8,415.4 ft) in Thailand.
Breeding
The Asian House Martin is a cliff nester, breeding in colonies sited under an overhang on a vertical cliff, usually with the nests not touching. It also frequently nests on large buildings such as temples and bridges, but not to the same extent as Common House Martin. The nest is a deep mud cone lined with grasses or feathers. Unlike its relatives, the Asian House Martin frequently does not complete the enclosure of its nest, leaving it open instead like a deeper version of a Barn Swallow nest. A Russian study found half the nests in its BaikalLake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
research area to be of the open type, and the Himalayan subspecies D. d. cashmiriensis has also been recorded as building a shallow cup nest.
The normal clutch is three or four (occasionally up to six) plain white eggs averaging 20.2 by 14.1 mm (0.795275590551181 by 0.55511811023622 ) and weighing 2.1 g (0.0740753204207351 oz). The incubation and fledging times are unknown, but are probably similar to those of the Common House Martin, which has an incubation period of 14 to 16 days until the eggs hatch, and a further 22 to 32 days to fledging. Both sexes build the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
Feeding
This martin feeds on insects taken in flight. As with its relatives it tends to feed high in the air, taking mostly small fliesFly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
, aphid
Aphis
Aphis may refer to:* Aphis, a genus of aphid species* Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service , organizational unit of the USDA* HMS Aphis , Royal Navy insect class gunboat...
and Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...
such as winged ants. A wide range of other insects are caught, including Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
, beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s and lacewing
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
s. The presence in the diet of terrestrial springtail
Springtail
Springtails form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered insects...
s and Lepidoptera larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e iindicate that food is sometime picked from the ground.
Predators and parasites
Birds often carry parasites, both external lice and fleas, and internal blood parasites. The Asian House Martin is a host of the house martin flea Ceratophyllus hirundinis, and has recently been shown to carry signs of avian malariaMalaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. The predators of this martin appear to be little studied, but are presumably similar to those of the Common House Martin, namely fast flying falcons such as Oriental Hobby
Oriental Hobby
The Oriental Hobby is a species of falcon typically 27-30 cm long. It can be found in the northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent, across the eastern Himalayas and ranges southwards through Indochina to Australasia. It has been recorded as a vagrant from Malaysia.-Diet and habitats:The...
which can chase down their prey in flight.
Conservation status
The Asian House Martin has a large range that does not appear to be contracting, and its numbers appear to be stable, although the total population is unknown. Since the range is more than 20000 square kilometres (7,722 sq mi), and there are more 10,000 mature individuals, in the absence of any large decline in distribution or numbers the species does not appear to meet the criteria to be considered vulnerable, and is currently evaluated as Least ConcernLeast Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
. This species is locally abundant and appears to be expanding its range northwards in southern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.