Pale Crag Martin

ID tip

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Pale Crag Martin

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 10 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Pale Crag Martin

The map shades 22 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 Eritrea.

About the Pale Crag Martin

The pale crag martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family that is resident in Northern Africa and in Southwestern Asia, east to Pakistan. It breeds mainly in the mountains, but also at lower altitudes, especially in rocky areas and around towns. Unlike most swallows, it is often found far from water. It is 12–13 cm long, with mainly brown plumage, paler-toned on the upper breast and underwing coverts, and with white "windows" on the spread tail in flight. The sexes are similar in appearance, but juveniles have pale fringes to the upperparts and flight feathers.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Red-throated Rock MartinPtyonoprogne rufigulaThe red-throated rock martin, also known as the red-throated crag-martin, is a small passerine bird in the swallow family, Hirundinidae. Dusky Crag MartinPtyonoprogne concolorThe dusky crag martin is 13 cm (5 in) long with a broad body, wings and tail. Large Rock MartinPtyonoprogne fuligulaThe large rock martin of the nominate subspecies P. f. fuligula is 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in) long, with earth-brown upperparts and a short square tail that has small white patches near the tips of all but the central and outermost pairs of feathers.

Side by side: Eurasian Crag Martin vs Pale Crag Martin · Large Rock Martin vs Pale Crag Martin · Dusky Crag Martin vs Pale Crag Martin