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WetlandDomed nestTiny · 11 g
ID tip
The fairy martin is dumpy and square tailed. It averages 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long and weighs 11 grams (0.39 oz). The adult has an iridescent blue back, brown wings and tail, a rufous crown and nape, and a whitish rump. The underparts are dull white. The sexes are similar, but young birds are duller and browner, with a paler forehead and pale fringes to the back and wing feathers. This species can be distinguished from other Australian swallows by its pale rump. The most similar species, the tree martin, has a shallowly forked tail and blue-black head and nape.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Fairy Martin
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Fairy Martin
The map shades 2 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in New Zealand.
About the Fairy Martin
The fairy martin is a member of the swallow family of passerine birds which breeds in Australia. It is migratory wintering through most of Australia, with some birds reaching New Guinea and Indonesia. It is increasingly a wanderer to New Zealand, where it may have bred. This species is frequently placed in the genus Hirundo as Hirundo ariel.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Cave SwallowPetrochelidon fulvaThe cave swallow measures 12 to 14 cm in length and weighs 19 g on average.
Tree MartinPetrochelidon nigricansThe tree martin averages 13 cm (5.1 in) in length and has a shallowly forked tail.
South African Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon spiloderaThe South African cliff swallow, also known as the South African swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae native southern Africa.
Side by side: American Cliff Swallow vs Fairy Martin · Fairy Martin vs Tree Martin · Cave Swallow vs Fairy Martin
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