Thesand martin (Riparia riparia), also known as thecollared sand martin orcommon sand martin, and in the Americas as thebank swallow, is amigratorypasserinebird in theswallow family Hirundinidae. It has a widerange in summer, embracing practically the wholeHolarctic area, from Europe, acrossAsia to the Pacific Ocean, and throughout North America. It winters in eastern and southern Africa, southern Asia, and South America.
This species was first described byCarl Linnaeus in his 175810th edition ofSystema Naturae, and originally namedHirundo riparia; the description consisted of the simple "H[irundo] cinerea, gula abdomineque albis" ("an ash-grey swallow, with white throat and belly") and thetype locality was simply given as "Europa",[3] subsequently refined to refer to Linnaeus's homeland of Sweden.[4] Thespecific name means "of the riverbank"; it is derived from theLatinripa "riverbank".[5]
There are three or four weakly defined subspecies:[6][7]
R. r. riparia (syn.R. r. dolgushini, R. r. innominata, R. r. kolymensis). Breeds Europe, western Asia, North America; winters Africa, South America.
R. r. taczanowskii. Doubtfully distinct fromR. r. ijimae and often included in it.[7][4] Breeds eastern mainland Asia; winters southern Asia.
R. r. ijimae. Breeds Sakhalin, Kuril Islands, and Japan; winters southeast Asia.
R. r. shelleyi (syn.R. r. eilata). Slightly smaller and paler thanR. r. riparia. Breeds Egypt, on passage in southern Israel; wintering area not reported, presumably Africa.
Thepale martin (Riparia diluta) of northernIndia and southeasternChina was formerly sometimes included as another subspecies of sand martin.[8] It is smaller, and has paler grey-brown upperparts and a less distinct breast band. It winters inPakistan, southern India and Sri Lanka.[9][7]
The sand martin is brown above, white below with a narrow brown band on the breast; the bill is black, the legs brown. The young haverufous tips to thecoverts and margins to the secondaries.
Its brown back and breast band, white throat, small size and quick jerky flight separate it from similar swallows, such as thecommon house martin (Delichon urbicum), theAmerican cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and thetree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor). The other species ofRiparia are more similar; the sand martin generally only occurs them in the wintering range, though there is breeding range overlap withpale martin in central Asia, with both species sharing mixed colonies without interbreeding.[7] Thebanded martin (Neophedina cincta) ofsub-Saharan Africa is very similar in plumage pattern, but is markedly larger, nearly double the weight.[4]
Weight: 11–16 g (0.39–0.56 oz) (to 19.5 g (0.69 oz) before migration)
Thesong is a continuous gravelly twittering when the birds are on the wing and becomes a conversational undertone after they have settled in the roost. The harsh alarm is heard when a passingfalcon,crow or other suspectedpredator requires combined action to drive it away.
Linnaeus already remarked on this species' breeding habits:Habitat in Europae collibus arenosis abruptis, foramine serpentino ("it lives in Europe, in winding holes in sheer sandy hills"). It has been observed that sand martins favourloess as a particular type of ground to nest in.[10] Sand martins are generally found near larger bodies of water, such asrivers,lakes or even theocean, throughout the year.[3][11]
In Britain, the sand martin is the first of its family to appear on its breeding grounds, arriving from the middle of March, a week or two in advance of thebarn swallow. In northernOhio, they arrive in numbers by mid-April, about 10 days earlier than they did 100 years ago.[12][13] At first, they flit over the larger bodies of water alone, in search of early flies. Later parties accompany other swallow species, but for a time, varying according to weather, the birds remain at these large waters and do not visit their nesting haunts. The sand martin departs early, at any rate from its more northerly haunts. In August, the gatherings at the nightly roost increase enormously, though the advent and departure of passage birds causes great irregularity in numbers. They are essentially gone from their breeding range by the end of September.
Their food consists of small insects, mostlygnats and other flies whose early stages areaquatic.
The sand martin issociable in its nesting habits; from a dozen to many hundred pairs will nest close together, according to available space. Thenests are at the end of tunnels ranging from a few inches to three or four feet in length, bored in sand orgravel. The actual nest is a litter of straw and feathers in a chamber at the end of the burrow; it soon becomes a hotbed of parasites. Four or five whiteeggs are laid about mid-late May, and a second brood is usual in all but the most northernly breeding sites.
Globally, it is not rare and classified as a species ofleast concern (but noted to be decreasing)[14] by theIUCN.[1] It does have some national and local protections, as certain populations have declined or face threats from habitat loss and fragmentation. In Canada, it is listed as Threatened under Schedule 1 of the federalSpecies at Risk Act (SARA) due to the loss of 98% of its Canadian population over the past 40 years.[15] They are considered threatened in California, where populations exist in theSacramento Valley[16] and at two coastal sites,Año Nuevo State Park andFort Funston.[17]
^abcdHoyo, Josep del; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi (2004).Handbook of the Birds of the World: Cotingas to pipits and wagtails (in German). Barcelona: Lynx edicions. p. 647–649.ISBN84-87334-69-5.
^abcdeShirihai, Hadoram; Svensson, Lars (2019).Handbook of Western Palearctic birds. volume 1: Passerines: larks to warblers. London Oxford New York New Delhi Sydney: Helm. pp. 107–109.ISBN978-1-4729-3757-5.
^abSnow, David William (1998).The Birds of the Western Palaearctic, Concise Edition. Vol. 2. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press. p. 1055–1057.ISBN0-19-854099-X.
^Smalley, I.J., Smalley, G.J., O'Hara-Dhand, K., Jary, Z. 2013. Sand martins favour loess: how the properties of loess ground facilitate the nesting of Sand Martins/Bank Swallows/Uferschwalben (Riparia riparia L1758) Quaternary International 296, 216-219.https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2012.03.059
^Garrison, B.A. (1998)."Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)".The Riparian Bird Conservation Plan: A Strategy for Reversing the Decline of Riparian-associated Birds in California.
%2c_Guidel-Plage%2c_Brittany%2c_France_(19765483180).jpg)
_-_Nest_-_Ystad-2021.jpg)
