Asian House Martin - BirdForum Opus

Photo by BIJ in Chihua shan,Shaanxi province China

Alternative name: Asian Martin

Delichon dasypus

Identification

12 cm
Adult

• Dark steely blue upperparts
• White rump and underparts
• Grey throat
• Greyish-brown underwings
  

Juveniles are duller with grey underparts.

Distribution

Asia: Russia, Siberia, Afghanistan, China, Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Eastern and Himalayas, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Korea, Japan, Taiwan
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Philippines, Island of Borneo, Indonesia, Greater Sundas, Sumatra, Java, Bali

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

It has two subspecies:

• D. d. dasypus:

• Siberia to Kuril Island, Japan; winters to Greater Sundas, Philippines

• D. d. cashmiriense:

• Himalayas (south-eastern Afghanistan to India and western China)

• D. d. nigrimentale

• SE China (Fujian and Guangxi) and Taiwan

Habitat

Cliffs.

Behaviour

Breeding

A colonial breeder, nests are sited under an overhang on a vertical cliff. They often use large buildings and bridges. Both sexes build the nest which is a deep mud cone lined with feathers or grass. Three or four white eggs are laid; both sexes incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.

Diet

The diet includes insects taken in flight.

References

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia]

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Asian House Martin. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Asian_House_Martin

External Links

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