Sand Martin Riparia riparia   [Linnaeus, 1758]

Jump to: Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links

For details point at or click the button; for sources point at the button

   Page updated:16-January-2013

Order: Passeriformes Family: Hirundinidae
BTO Codes: SM, SANMA EURING No: 9810
Number in Britain: 164 thousand nests (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Depleted
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: riparia recorded in Britain (of 6 subsp. in the world)
.
Length: 12 cm Wingspan: 28 cm Weight: M/F: 14 g    
Scientific name from: L.: riparia=of banks (from ripa=a bank)
World Distribution: BREEDS: Eurasia, n Africa, North America, WINTERS: south to s Africa, s Asia, South America
Habitat: Open country, usually near water
Diet: Small airborne invertebrates, feeds in flight
TitBit: Sand Martins nest in holes in sandy banks, which can be up to 1 m long and are excavated at a rate of 8-10 cm a day.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: BirdTrends   
Regional Trends: England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 78 to 250 thousand nests in 1988-81     Note: Best estimate
    First Record: Recorded in Anglo-Saxon times
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern,
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern: riparia AMBER (European Concern)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Common in: Pasture Farmland
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries  and summary map from Time to Fly (in pop-up windows)
Average Day of First Arrival: 25 Mar
European Population Size:
    Summer: 2.4 to 4.5 million pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 18 x 13 mm Egg Weight: 1.4 g (of which 5 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 137   (more would be welcome!)
Clutch Size: 4 - 5 eggs 4.42 ± 0.82 (2 - 7) N = 213
Incubation: 14- 15 days 14.39 ± 1.19 (12 - 16.5) N = 213   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 19 - 21days 19.87 ± 1.68 (16 - 22.5) N = 491 as: Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1-2
See trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.300    (M:0.312 ± 0.026; F:0.289 ± 0.026)      
Juvenile Survival: 0.215 (in First-Year)  
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 2 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 7 years 9 months 1 days (set in 1998)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: A
Wing Length Adult: 106.4 ± 2.8     Range 91.0 - 121.0 mm, (N = 15647)
Juvenile: 102.4 ± 3.7     Range 86.0 - 121.0 mm, (N = 36785)
Male: 106.4 ± 2.7     Range 91.0 - 119.0 mm, (N = 5607)
Female: 106.4 ± 2.9     Range 92.0 - 121.0 mm, (N = 7243)
Weight Adult: 13.26 ± 1.57 Range 9.10 - 17.60 g , (N =11075)
Juvenile: 12.9 ± 1.1 Range 9.0 - 17.6 . , (N =31613)
Male: 12.89 ± 0.92 Range 9.10 - 17.50 g , (N =3723)
Female: 13.53 ± 1.20 Range 9.90 - 17.60 g , (N =4998)
Seasonal: Summer 13.21 ± 1.10 (N = 30558)   Autumn 13.43 ± 1.16 (N = 3965)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

Bank Swallow, Collared Sand Martin
Gaelic: Gobhlan-gainmhich Welsh: Gwennol y Glennydd
Danish: Digesvale Dutch: Oeverzwaluw
Finnish: Törmäpääsky French: Hirondelle de rivage
German: Uferschwalbe Hungarian: Parti fecske
Icelandic: Bakkasvala Irish: Gabhlán Gainimh
Italian: Topino Norwegian: Sandsvale
Polish: Brzegówka zwyczajna Portuguese: Andorinha-das-barreiras
Spanish: Avión zapador Swedish: Backsvala

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
No books written recently
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
All About Birds (from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Details from the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead