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Sand Martin

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	Sand Martin
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	Topics Sand Martin Topic Home The Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) is a migratoryBird migration Long-distance land bird migrationMany species of land migratory birds migrate very long distances, the most common pattern being ... passerinePasserine A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes.... birdBird Birds are bipedal, warm-blooded, oviparous vertebrate animals characterized primarily by feathers, forelimbs modified as win... in the swallowSwallow The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by th... family. This species was first described by LinnaeusCarolus Linnaeus Summary Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linn, , was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist... in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Hirundo riparia. Riparia means "of the riverbank", and is derived from the LatinLatin Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome.... ripa, a riverbank. It has a wide range in summer, embracing practically the whole of EuropeFacts About Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth.... and the Mediterranean countries, part of northern AsiaAsia Asia is the largest and most populous continent or region, depending on the definition.... and also North AmericaFacts About North America North America is a continent in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost fully in the western hemisphere.... , where it is called Bank Swallow. It winters in eastern and southern AfricaAfrica Africa is one of the greatest sized continents of the Earth.... , South AmericaSouth America South America is a continent situated in the western hemisphere and, mostly, the southern hemisphere, bordered on the west b... and South AsiaSouth Asia Summary South Asia, also Southern Asia, is a southern geopolitical region of the Asian continent comprising territories on and... (where it is called the Collared Sand Martin). The subspecies diluta of southern Asia, northern IndiaIndia India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia.... and southeastern ChinaChina Overview China is a cultural region and ancient civilization in East Asia.... is sometimes split as a separate species, the Pale Martin, Riparia diluta. It has paler grey-brown upperparts and a less distinct breast band. It winters in PakistanPakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan , is a country located in South Asia that overlaps with the Gre... and southern India. The Sand Martin appears on its breeding grounds towards the end of March, just in advance of the Barn SwallowBarn Swallow Summary The Barn Swallow is a small migratory passerine bird found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.... , as the first of its family, flitting over the larger sheets of water in search of early flies. Its brown back, small size and quicker, jerkier flight separate it at once from Swallows and House MartinHouse Martin The House Martin is a migratory passerine of the family Hirundinidae.... s. Later parties accompany Swallows, but for a time, varying according to weather, the birds remain at these large waters and does not visit its nesting haunts. The 12-cm-long Sand Martin is brown above, white below with a narrow brown band on the breast; the bill is black, the legs brown. The young have rufous tips to the coverts and margins to the secondaries. The twittering song is continuous 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 passing KestrelCommon Kestrel Summary The Common Kestrel is a bird of prey belonging to the falcon family Falconidae.... , Carrion CrowCarrion Crow The Carrion Crow can be distinguished from the Common Raven by its size and from the Hooded Crow by its black plumage, but t... or other suspected enemy requires combined action to drive it away. The food consists of small insects, mostly gnatGnat The term gnat is applied as a colloquial name to any of various small insects in the order Diptera and specifically within t... s and other flies whose early stages are aquatic. The Sand Martin is sociable in its nesting habits; from a dozen to many hundred pairs will nest close together, according to available space. The nests are at the end of tunnels of from a few inches to three or four feet in length, bored in sand or gravel. 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 white eggs are laid about the middle of May, and a second brood is usual. 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. External links