David Element
Wildlife Photography and Digital Video Images
_________________________________________________________________________________________________Birds 241 – Common House Martins
COMMON HOUSE MARTIN Delichon
urbicum
·
The Common House
Martin Delichon urbicum is a well-recognised commensal
species, frequently nesting on man-made structures (i.e., cliff substitutes)
where wet mud collected from puddles or riverbanks is carried back to the nest
site (often underneath eaves) and used to create enclosed cup-like structures.
This species will also sometimes use artificial nests. In years of drought the
availability of wet mud may be restricted and a tendency to use communal
nesting sites makes this bird particularly vulnerable to habitat loss
associated with redevelopments where the nesting habits of House Martins may
not be anywhere near the top of the list of the priorities of property
developers. House Martin colonies are also susceptible to failure if there are population
crashes of the flying insects that they catch in mid-air. At a time when there
is serious concern about anthropogenic climate change and overuse of chemical
insecticides the future prospects for these lovely
birds begin to look bleak.
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