About the Brown-throated Martin
The brown-throated martin, brown-throated sand martin or plain martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family, Hirundinidae, that is widely distributed across Africa. It was formerly regarded as conspecific with the grey-throated martin and the Madagascar martin.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The 12 cm long brown-throated martin is brown above and white or pale brown below. It lacks the narrow brown band on the breast shown by the sand martin; the bill is black and the legs are brown. Sexes are similar, but the young have pale tips to the feathers on the rump and wings. The twittering song of the brown-throated martin is continuous when the birds are on the wing, and becomes a conversational undertone after they have settled in the roost. There is also a harsh alarm call.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Taiwan, India, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Togo.
When to see it
Peak activity in February · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Grey-throated MartinRiparia chinensisThe grey-throated martin or Asian plain martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.
Pale MartinRiparia dilutaThe pale martin or pale sand martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.
Congo MartinRiparia congicaThe 11 cm long Congo martin is light brown above with a slightly darker crown and wings.
Side by side: Brown-throated Martin vs Sand Martin
Learn the Brown-throated Martin for real
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