Pale Crag Martin
Ptyonoprogne obsoleta
The Pale Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne obsoleta) is a uncommon swallow found in 23 countries, weighing about 10 g. 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.
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. It was formerly considered to be the northern subspecies of the rock martin of southern Africa, although it is smaller,…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The pale crag martin of the nominate subspecies P. o. obsoleta is 12–13 centimetres (4+1⁄2–5 inches) long with light brown upperparts, becoming paler on the lower back, and a short square tail that has small white patches near the tips of all but the central and outermost pairs of feathers. It has a pale grey throat, upper breast and underwing coverts, and the rest of the underparts are a dirty white. The eyes are brown, the small bill is mainly black, and the legs are brownish-pink. The wing length averages 13 cm (5 in) and the tail averages 4.8 cm (1+7⁄8 in).
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Eritrea.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in March. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Pale Crag Martin?
- The pale crag martin of the nominate subspecies P. o. obsoleta is 12–13 centimetres (4+1⁄2–5 inches) long with light brown upperparts, becoming paler on the lower back, and a short square tail that has small white patches near the tips of all but the central and outermost pairs of feathers. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Pale Crag Martin?
- The Pale Crag Martin is a tiny sized bird weighing about 10 g.
- Where can you see a Pale Crag Martin?
- The Pale Crag Martin occurs in 23 countries, including Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Palestinian Territories and Egypt.
- What birds look similar to a Pale Crag Martin?
- The Pale Crag Martin is most easily confused with the Dusky Crag Martin, the Large Rock Martin and the Eurasian Crag Martin.
Learn the Pale Crag Martin for real
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