Sand martin

the Sand martin ( Riparia riparia ) of the family of the Hirundinidae is the only swallow with brown back.

Among its other names: Avíon zapador (Spanish), tarou, térou, Oeverzwaluw (Dutch), Uferschwalbe (German), Topino (Italian), Sand Martin (English), Backsvala (Swedish), Beregovushka (Russian).

Description

It is smaller than the rustic Hirondelle. Its tail short and is indented little. It is decorated of a pectoral band brown ashy. Its throat and its belly are white.

It measures 12 cm for a scale of 30 cm and it is, like his/her cousins, a virtuoso of the vol.

Distribution and habitat

It is observed from July 11th to July 25th, in all the Europe (especially in the East and in Spain) and in North America where its surface of reproduction covers almost all North America, of the south of the zones of tundra and in the north of the Mexico. It niche not in the east of Newfoundland and winters in South America. It is rather rare in Europe, but its colonies can reach several hundreds or thousands of burrows (not all occupied in this last case). In France it occupies curiously only the 2/3 north of the territory, where it remains rather not very frequent, except around its colonies. The European individuals winter in the south, in Africa under the southern zone sahélienne.

It niche and generally drives out near lakes and rivers, sandy cords, mudholes, ponds, the steppes and meadows, or of sand pit. One finds it in the places where the movable deposits were updated by the action of water or the man, of which exceptionally in certain sandy road slopes.

Food mode

Insects caught in flight, sometimes on the ground or at water surface.

Reproduction

It is one of the rare birds which digs the ground. It niche in colonies of some couples and up to 600 to 700 nests, in a room dug at the bottom of a burrow of round section which it dug in the shape of gallery of 60 cm 1 meter from length in walls or cliff, generally of sand or movable ground. The room is thus maintained at a temperature and almost constant hygroscopy.

The nest is generally manufactured starting from a mixture of grass and feathers, and it can be used several years of continuation.

The eggs, laid 3 to 7 (4 to 5 generally), are white pure and ovals (approximately 18 mm). The populations southernmost lay generally twice a year, the others only once, except if the brood fails precociously.

Incubation from 14 to 16 days. The small ones take their first take-off around the 19th day to leave it after 20 to 25 days (according to the temperature).

Leading causes of mortalities: the cross-country vehicles, the exploitation of careers or sand cliffs or the vandalism which destroy the sites of nesting. The collisions with the cars, the pesticides, pollution, the predatory ones and the bad weather are also causes of rather frequent mortalities.

The principal predatory ones are the micromammifères when the burrows are too accessible.

Average life expectancy estimated in nature: 2 to 3 years

Maximum longevity observed in captivity: 8 years

Behavior

Contrary to his/her cousins or the trip hammer S, this swallow flies close to the ground and often with the short-nap cloth to water and very seldom to great height.

The communication is visual and auditive: with the autumn, the sand martin gathers in the wetlands with other species of swallows. These swallows perch themselves on shrubs in edge of river, right before the twilight, then they carry out a kind of air ballet made up of spirals and loops before turning over to perch itself for the night. Defense of the territory: it must defend its territory against its similar at the time of the choice of the site and during the construction of the burrow and the nest. On the other hand, once the started laying, peace reigns between the individuals.

The court is carried out by the song and air continuations between males and females on the sites of nesting. Before the copulation, the male often escorts its female during displacements and drives out other males possibly undertaking.

At the time of the nesting, the two parents take part in the installation of the nest, with the incubation and with the care with let us oisillons. It often happens that, in the same colony, the birds steal themselves of construction materials for the nest.

Seasonal displacements: like the other migrating ones, the swallows go down towards the south in winter, by traversing for some several thousands of kilometers.

External bonds

Card of Oiseau.net
Dorothée Mitchell

Nds-nl: Zaandzwelver

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