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Martins, Swallows & Swifts
House Martin
Common House Martin
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen in groups or in flocks.
A small, compact martin with short, forked tail and pure white rump. Underparts shiny white (including throat and vent). Upperparts dark with shiny metallic glow to head and back. Juveniles overall more dull, with white tips to tertials and dusky, brownish upperparts. Flight determined and steady. Glides more than Sand Martin, with less frequent change of direction.
Diet
Insects, including flies, beetles and aphids.
Longevity record
15 years 0 months (Sweden, 1519863)
Ħawwiefa
Delichon urbicum
Passeriformes
Hirundinidae
Fairly common
Usually seen in
March - May, September - October
Occasionally seen in
all other months
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Red-rumped
Red-rumped Swallow
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen in small groups but can be seen singly.
Differs from Barn Swallow in all plumages by pale throat and black under tail coverts, which are visible at greater distance than the red rump. Rufous cheeks and collar. Underparts finely streaked, giving the bird a slightly "dirty" look from a distance, with less contrast to the upperparts than in Barn Swallow. Immature birds with short streamers and buff cheeks and rump. Build more compact than Barn Swallow, with shorter bill, rounded wings and slightly shorter streamers. Flight slower and with more frequent gliding.
Diet
The Red-rumped Swallow feeds almost entirely on flying insects all year round. The diet includes a wide variety of species caught by aerial pursuit, sometimes up to 100 metres or more.
Longevity record
5 years
Usually seen in
March - May
Occasionally seen in
February, June, August - November
Click on the image to open slideshow
23-03-19
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Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen in small groups and larger flocks but occasionally can be seen singly.
Dark blue metallic upperparts, deep red forehead and throat and light underparts. Long tail-streamers in adults and deeply forked tail. Both the metallic blue and the deep red appears black at a distance. Combination of dark throat/breast and light underparts and vent is diagnostic, and distinguishes it both from Red-rumped Swallow and the smaller martins. Juveniles are less brightly coloured with a dull red throat, and short streamers.
Diet
Feeds on a wide variety of flying insects, especially flies (including house flies and horse flies), beetles, wasps, wild bees, winged ants, and true bugs. Also eats some moths, damselflies, grasshoppers, and other insects, and a few spiders and snails. Only occasionally eats a few berries or seeds.
Longevity record
11 years 1 month (Found dead in the UK, LK 620)
Ħuttafa
Hirundo rustica
Passeriformes
Hirundinidae
Fairly common
Usually seen in
February - June, August - November
Occasionally seen in
December - January, all year for resident breeders
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Crag Martin
Eurasian Crag Martin
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually but can be seen in small groups.
Stocky martin with broad (but pointed) wings, broad tail and broad head. Mostly dusky brown with paler underparts, except almost black under wing-coverts, and fairly dark vent. Most tail-feathers with small, white "window" visible from below. Immature similar to adults, but with pale fringes to coverts. Flight less acrobatic than other martins, with frequent, long glides. Strays less away from breeding grounds than congeners.
Diet
The Eurasian Crag Martin feeds mainly on insects caught in its beak in flight, although it will occasionally take prey items off rocks, the ground, or a water surface. When breeding, birds often fly back and forth near to a rock face hunting for insects, feeding both inside and outside the nesting territory.
Longevity record
-
Ħawwiefa tal-Blat
Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Passeriformes
Hirundinidae
Very rare
Usually seen in
October
Occasionally seen in
September, November - April
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Sand Martin
Sand Martin
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen in small groups or larger flocks.
Small martin with dark brown chest-band and white throat. Upperparts dark brown, underparts white. Underside of wings dark. Juveniles with light fringes to brown feathers, and buff throat. Flight more elegant than Barn Swallow and House Martin. Often changes direction but keeps altitude. More fluttering flight than House Martin, with less gliding.
The sand martin is sociable in its nesting habits; from a dozen to many hundred pairs will nest close together, according to available space.
Diet
The food consists of small insects, mostly gnats and other flies whose early stages are aquatic.
Longevity record
10 years 1 month (Found dead through a car accident in Sweden, AR 45926)
Ħawwiefa tax-Xtut
Riparia riparia
Passeriformes
Hirundinidae
Fairly common
Usually seen in
March - June
Occasionally seen in
all the other months
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Alpine swift
Alpine Swift
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen in small groups or individually.
Only swift in the region with white underparts divided by breast-band. Upperparts brown. Distinctly bigger than Swift, with robust build and powerful flight. Tail short with rather shallow fork. Wing-action slower than Swift, with each beat discernible. May give Hobby-like impression at a distance.
Diet
They are opportunistic feeders, and exploit swarms and hatchings wherever possible. They avoid stinging insects. Insects are collected in the back of the throat in a special food pouch and bound together with saliva into a ball called a bolus, which is periodically eaten or taken to the nest. These food balls can contain thousands of insects.
Longevity record
26 years 0 month (Found sick in Switzerland, 900438)
Usually seen in
March - May
Occasionally seen in
June - November
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26-04-20
15-09-17
26-04-20
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Little swift
Little Swift
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually.
Little swifts are readily identified by their small size. Their wingspan is only 33 cm compared to 42 cm in the case of Common Swift. Their plumage is black except for a white throat and rump, the white rump patch extending onto the flanks. They have a short square tail, with all rectrices round-tipped. The flight is fluttering like that of a House Martin, and the call is a high twittering. Like other swifts they are very short-legged. The legs are used for clinging to vertical surfaces only.
Diet
They are opportunistic feeders, and exploit swarms and hatchings wherever possible. They avoid stinging insects. Insects are collected in the back of the throat in a special food pouch and bound together with saliva into a ball called a bolus, which is periodically eaten or taken to the nest. These food balls can contain thousands of insects.
Longevity record
-
Usually seen in
-
Occasionally seen in
March - July, September, November, December
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Pallid Swift
Pallid Swift
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually, in small groups or small flocks.
Very similar to Common Swift, and often difficult to identify in the field. Seeing the birds against a darker background, as opposed to the sky, brings out some of the characters more clearly. Generally paler and more sandy brown than Common Swift. Differs further from C. Swift by: Rounder wing tip (outermost primary shorter than the next), slightly broader wings, broader and flatter head. White throat patch bigger and more prominent. The face seems paler, which brings out the dark eye-mask. Back slightly darker than upper part of wings. More contrast between outer and inner primaries. Underparts with more pronounced scaly pattern. Flight less acrobatic, with slightly slower wing-beats, more frequent gliding and much less twinkling turns.
Diet
They are opportunistic feeders, and exploit swarms and hatchings wherever possible. They avoid stinging insects. Insects are collected in the back of the throat in a special food pouch and bound together with saliva into a ball called a bolus, which is periodically eaten or taken to the nest. These food balls can contain thousands of insects.
Longevity record
-
Usually seen in
May - August
Occasionally seen in
April, September
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Common swift
Common Swift
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually, in small groups or larger flocks.
All black swift with small white throat patch. Very difficult to separate from Pallid swift. Pallid Swift; brownish plumage tone (best seen against darker background), bigger throat-patch than swift, scale pattern on body more prominent, wing-tips slightly rounded, "saddle" darker than wings, and more contrast between darker outer primaries and inner.
Diet
They are opportunistic feeders, and exploit swarms and hatchings wherever possible. They avoid stinging insects. Insects are collected in the back of the throat in a special food pouch and bound together with saliva into a ball called a bolus, which is periodically eaten or taken to the nest. These food balls can contain thousands of insects.
Longevity record
21 years 1 month (Found sick in Sweden, ZB 84?)
Rundunu
Apus apus
Apodiformes
Apodidae
Fairly common
Usually seen in
May - September
Occasionally seen in
February - April, October - December
Click on the image to open slideshow
07-05-19
07-05-19
07-05-19
07-05-19
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*Some information was sourced from ''BirdID Nord University''.
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