Delichon urbicum
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The western house martin (Delichon urbicum), sometimes called the common house martin, northern house martin or, particularly in Europe, just house martin, is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and west-central Asia; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and southwestern Asia. It feeds on insects which are caught in flight, and it migrates to climates where flying insects are plentiful. It has a blue head and upperparts, white rump and pure white underparts, and is found in both open country and near human habitation. It is similar in appearance to the two other martin species of the genus Delichon, which are both endemic to eastern and southern Asia. It has two accepted subspecies.
Both the scientific and colloquial name of the bird are related to its use of human-made structures. It builds a closed cup nest from mud pellets under eaves or similar locations on buildings usually in colonies. It is hunted by the Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), and like other birds is affected by internal parasites and external fleas and mites. Its large range and population mean that it is not threatened globally.
The western house martin... Wikipedia →
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a House Martin sighting in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, based on 352 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 112 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a House Martin in Picos de Europa National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January and October–November, the lowest months. Those are among Picos de Europa National Park's driest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in November.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most House Martin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 58
Of the 58 parks where we can rate House Martin sightings, Picos de Europa National Park ranks 9th at about 30%. The best odds are in Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 50%), Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 50%) and Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Hirundinidae
The closest relatives of the House Martin that you can see in Picos de Europa National Park (family Hirundinidae, Swallows and Martins) are Eurasian Crag Martin (about 50%) and Barn Swallow (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the House Martin is recorded against all the birds logged in Picos de Europa National Park (352 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
