Delichon urbicum
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 →
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a House Martin sighting in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 202nd most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, September and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a House Martin in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–August, October and December–January, the lowest months.
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.
38th of 58
Of the 58 parks where we can rate House Martin sightings, Pilanesberg National Park ranks 38th at under 5%. 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 Pilanesberg National Park (family Hirundinidae, Swallows and Martins) are Lesser Striped-Swallow (about 30%), Pearl-breasted Swallow (about 20%) and White-throated Swallow (about 10%), 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 Pilanesberg National Park (10 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.
