House Martin Delichon urbica
House Martins have a blue-black back, slender black wings
adapted for fast flight, and pure white underparts. Their broad
white rump instantly tells them apart from other similar birds.
Their black tail is clearly forked which gives them excellent
manoeuvrability when in flight. House Martins are perfectly adapted
to life in the air and much of their time is spent on the wing,
although they readily settle on buildings and telephone wires. They
also have to come down to the ground to collect mud for their nests
from the fringes of ponds, muddy gateways and roadside puddles.
House Martins feed on a wide variety of insects caught high above
the ground.
House Martins are summer visitors to Britain, they arrive in
spring to breed, leaving in September for the long journey back to
Africa where they spend the winter. House Martins usually nest in
colonies that range from loose gatherings of a few pairs to several
hundred closely-packed nests. They build mud nests on the outer
walls of buildings, often under the eaves, and are commonly found
in villages, towns and even highly urbanised areas. In recent years
House Martins have been recorded breeding much nearer the centres
of many British cities, illustrating the improvement in air quality
in the last 50 years.
Current Status
House Martins are found throughout Europe, up to an altitude of
2000 metres. They are summer visitors and spend the winter in
tropical Africa south of the Sahara. They breed across the whole of
the UK, with the exception of the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and
Shetland. The highest densities occur in East Anglia, parts of S
and W Scotland, the West Midlands and Yorkshire.
There have been no major changes in distribution of House
Martins since the early 1970s. There have been some changes at the
edge of their range but on the whole the distribution of the
species is regarded as being static. It is estimated that there are
250,000 to 500,000 pairs of House Martin in Britain. Nationally the
population appears to be undergoing a slow, shallow decline,
although firm evidence of the rate and extent of such a decline is
lacking and there is significant variation from place to place.
The House Martin appears on the UK Biodiversity Steering Group
'Long List of Threatened/Declining Species' but does not appear on
the RSPB Red or Amber list of 'Birds of Conservation Concern'.
The House Martin is a sparsely distributed breeding bird
throughout the Hull area but is a common passage migrant and a
familiar summer visitor. House Martins tend to arrive in Hull in
the last week of April and records illustrate that they have been
breeding around Hull for many years. Small colonies have existed on
Chanterlands Avenue and Newland Avenue for over 100 years. It is
thought that the number of House Martins in Hull has declined
markedly since the 1980s.
Current Factors Affecting House Martins
- The availability of mud may affect the nesting success of House
Martins.
- Air pollution can be a serious threat to birds in urban areas.
In Europe, House Martins are rare or absent in areas of high air
pollution.
- House Martins attach their nests to buildings. Modern houses
are often constructed in ways that exclude birds from potential
nesting areas. There have also been cases of people destroying
nests, which is illegal and carries a strict penalty.
- Predation by domestic animals such as Cats can be a
problem.
- The availability of airborne insect food is a limiting factor.
Increasing 'tidiness' and pesticide use in both gardens and public
greenspaces reduces food availability.
- Factors operating in the African wintering grounds may also
influence breeding populations.
Current Action
Legal Status
House Martins are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside
Act (1981). It is illegal intentionally to use any method to
disturb or kill them, and to take, damage or destroy their nests
while the nest is in use or being built. House Martins tend to
suffer from intentional nest destruction because people do not
always appreciate them nesting on their houses. Householders should
be aware that destruction of nests carries a maximum penalty of
£5000 or a six-month prison sentence.
Management, Research and Guidance
Concern for House Martins was raised in 1998 when reports to
RSPB suggested many birds failed to return to their traditional
nesting sites. Since 1998 the RSPB have been asking for information
from everyone with House Martins nesting on their houses. It is
hoped that annual monitoring schemes will help to show whether
numbers are declining. There is no current conservation action for
House Martins nationally, although advice is provided by the
RSPB.
Action Plan Aims
- To determine the status of House Martins in Hull.
- To carry out continued monitoring to highlight changes in House
Martin numbers.
- To ensure House Martin-friendly features are included in new
houses.
- To promote the erection of artificial nests to encourage House
Martins.
- To discourage the illegal destruction of nests.
- To encourage cat owners to put bells on their cats.
What We Are Going to Do
Action
|
Target
|
Partner
|
Aim
|
|
Policy and Legislation
|
| Ensure inclusion of features useful to wildlife through the
planning process. |
Medium Term: Produce 'Supplementary Planning Guidance' on
building for wildlife.
Ongoing: Ensure planned developments have roof features suitable
for House Martins. |
KuHCC (Planning)
KuHCC (Planning, Design Agency) |
3
3 |
|
Habitat Management and Protection
|
| Erection of artificial nests on suitable buildings. |
Ongoing: Encourage residents to put up nest boxes. |
|
4 |
| Provide advice on how to cope with problems associated with
nests on houses. |
Ongoing: Provide advice on how to reduce the effects of
droppings and parasites. |
RSPB |
4 |
|
Advisory
|
| Provide advice on building nest boxes suitable for House
Martins. |
Ongoing: Provide advice on building House Martin nest
boxes. |
RSPB |
4 |
|
Future Research and Monitoring
|
| Determine location of House Martin colonies in Hull. |
Short Term: Ask residents to send in details of House Martin
nests on their houses.
Ongoing: Monitor known nest sites every year to track population
changes. |
HVWG, EYB |
1
1 |
|
Communications and Publicity
|
| Article to highlight declining status of House Martins in Hull
and suggest action residents can take to encourage the bird. |
Short Term: Article in press to highlight House Martin decline
in Hull and advise residents how they can encourage the bird. |
HVWG |
4, 6 |
What We Can All Do
- Help to determine the distribution of House Martins in Hull by
letting the Biodiversity Partnership know if they nest on your
house.
- House Martins feed entirely on insects so they can not be
attracted by providing food, but a muddy pool or puddle where they
can collect nesting material is helpful, especially during a dry
spring.
- House Martins can be encouraged to nest by providing artificial
nests, advice on where to get artificial nests or how to make one
yourself can be found in the free RSPB 'House Martin Information
Leaflet'.
- It is illegal to destroy House Martin nests. If you see someone
destroying a nest contact the Police Wildlife Liaison
Officer.
- House Martins are at risk of being caught by Cats, especially
when on the ground collecting mud. A bell on a cat's collar may
alert birds to their presence.
Links With Other Action Plans
Management of Gardens and Allotments and The Built Environment
may be important to the House Martin.
References
Baillie, S.R., Crick, H.Q.P., Balmer, D.E., Bashford, R.I.,
Beaven, L.P., Freeman, S.N., Marchant, J.H., Noble, D.G., Raven,
M.J., Siriwardena, G.M., Thewlis, R. and Wernham, C.V. (2001)
Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status
2000. BTO Research Report 252. BTO, Thetford. (Retrieved January
2002 from http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)
Broughton, R.K. (2002) Birds of the Hull Area. Kingston Press,
Hull.
Gibbons, D.W. (1993) New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and
Ireland: 1988-1991. Poyser, London.
RSPB. Information: House Martins. RSPB, Sandy.