Swift Swallow Or Martin? How to Tell The Difference

Summer Is Coming. It really is. Even if the weather has been all over the place lately. But give it another two months, and it will be, to quote DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, summer, summer, summertime. And summertime brings baby swallows, swifts and martins. You can already start seeing these tippy tail-birds all over the skies from April onwards, gobbling up mozzies and flies along the way. Being highly aerial, these birds eat and drink during flight, and even bathe, mate, and sleep on the wing!

Mysterious Flyers
(© Maxvandaag.nl)

Keep ‘Em Coming

Because these aerial high-flyers are so busy up there, we don’t get to see all that much of their actions. And unfortunately, we will be seeing even less of them, as they are in some serious trouble. House martin, swallow and swift populations are rapidly declining. Swift numbers alone have halved in just the past 20 years. The main causes:

Insecticides used in farming: have you noticed how few insects we have buzzing about these days? Their numbers are massively reduced, which means the birds’ food source is also getting smaller and smaller.
The loss of suitable nesting sites: these birds like to nest on beams, under the eaves of buildings, and in deep cavities such as holes around pipework, missing bricks etc., but the disappearance of old houses (and previous nest sites to return to), along with people’s negative attitudes towards birds nesting on their property, and modern construction which tends to seal buildings tightly, leaves no space for new nests.
Climate change affects our birds, too: it creates cold and wet summers, overwintering sites abroad are changing, and migration routes are becoming more difficult.

Making you feel sombre and powerless? Chin up, you can help! Besides doing your everyday bit to fight climate change including opting for insecticide-free foods, you can help these feisty flyers by creating nesting sites for them. There is a wonderful, highly detailed article on making swift homes, available on Swift-conservation.org.

Another very handy guide can be found here - it provides tips specifically adapted to housing either common swifts, barn swallows, or house martins, as they each have their own nesting preference, from eaves to beams.

Placing a swift box - © www.vogelbescherming.nl

Placing a Swift Box
(© Vogelbescherming.nl)

Cavity-loving Shy Swift
(© Vogelbescherming.nl)

Identifying Fast Flyers

All eaves aside, how do you, first of all, know which bird is actually which? They sure look alike and are quite similar in behaviour. There are some clear differences however, so you can tell them apart no matter how swiftly they swoop by. We’ve winged through several great birding sources and flocked as many details together as we could, from beaks to babas. Below, you will find their main characteristics listed, which should help you identify them in the blink of an eye and the flutter of a wing. The more we know about them, the better we can help them find a suitable nest site, whether self-built or store-bought, and survive on this beautiful planet we all share and can welcome as one home.

Swift Sharing Home © www.vogelbescherming.nl

Swift Sharing Home
(© Vogelbescherming.nl)

(Common) Swifts

Common Swift
(© Mike Langman (rspb-images.com))

Colour	Dark all over, with lighter throat Sooty brown - can appear black in the sky Black beak Black-brown legs
Tail	Short Forked (less forked than a swallow’s tail)
Wings	Long Crescent-like
Beak	Short Wide
Measurements	Length: 16-17 cm Wingspan: 42-48 cm Weight: 36-50 g
Sound	“Shreeee!” A harsh, piercing screaming: Listen © Jean Roché, Sittelle.com (Garden-birds.co.uk)
Behaviour	Winter habitat: Africa Visit Britain between late April and September Natural habitats: farmland, grassland, urban and suburban, wetland Often found in parties, swooping low and fast around buildings, screaming and chasing one another all day long - but luckily not noisy at the nest Swifts pair for life, meeting up in the spring at the same nest site Nest in colonies Nests are hidden in cavities in buildings - under eaves and in holes in the wall Breeding is the only time they stop flying Male and female both feed the young and take turns incubating the eggs
Babas	Eggs: white, smooth, matt, 25 mm by 16 mm Juveniles: have a pale eyebrow
Feeding	Flying insects and airborne spiders, avoiding stinging insects When it is warm, insects will be carried higher in the air causing the swifts to fly at higher altitudes (on average around 50-100m, though sometimes as high as 1000m), and nearer to the ground when it is colder In rough weather, they will feed over water where more insects can be found Drink water by catching raindrops in the air or flying low over water, skimming from the surface
Misc	Swifts are larger than swallows Slim, tapering body Wings appear crescent/scythe-like during flight Relative to their body size, they have the shortest legs of all birds, and can’t take off from the ground, which is why they need to take off from a good height, and you won’t find them perched on a wire or fence; they can hardly walk! If you spot an uninjured swift on the ground, place it on your hand with the bird facing forwards, and slowly raise your arm up and down to encourage it to take off

Common Swift, Help When Found on the Ground Without Obvious Injuries - © http://blascozumeta.com

Common Swift, Help When Found On Ground Without Obvious Injuries
(© Blascozumeta.com)

Common Swift Nest © www.swift-conservation.org

Common Swift Nest
(© Swift-conservation.org)

Breeding starts: Late May
Clutches: 1
Eggs: 2-4
Incubation: 19-20 days
Fledge: 35-56 days

Common Swift In Flight
(© Keta Detail of Apus_apus_flock_flying.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2817682)

(Barn) Swallows

Barn Swallow
(© Mike Langman (rspb-images.com))

Colour	Red throat, chin and forehead Off-white belly Glossy blue upper-parts White markings along inside edges of tail fork Black beak Black-brown legs
Tail	Distinctly forked Long tail streamers
Wings	Long
Beak	Short Wide
Measurements	Length: 17-19 cm Wingspan: 32-25 cm Weight: 16-25 g
Sound	A quavery mix of trills and twitters, similar to the sparrow’s ramble: Listen © Jean Roché, Sittelle.com (Garden-birds.co.uk)
Behaviour	Winter habitat: southern Africa Visit Britain between late March and October Natural habitats: farmland, grassland, upland, urban and suburban, wetland Often circling gracefully overhead, or swooping low over water and ground. Swallows fly low when rain is on the way, and high when the weather is good Perch in large flocks before returning to Africa Nests are against a beam or shelf in buildings or a ledge on cliffs Old nests get refurbished, some even reused for 50 years Nest in loose colonies or singly Female incubates the eggs Both male and female feed the young
Babas	Eggs: white with reddish speckles, smooth, glossy, 20 mm by 14 mm Juveniles: duller in colour, shorter tail, lack the red throat
Feeding	Catch insects on the wing, in open areas above shallow waters or ground Drink by flying low over water, scooping up water from the surface
Misc	The long forked tail gives exceptional flight manoeuvrability, much better than the swifts’ or martins’

Barn Swallow
(© I, Malene [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)])

Barn Swallow Nest
(© Mario Modesto Mata [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])

Breeding starts: April-May
Clutches: 2-3
Eggs: 3-8
Incubation: 14-16 days
Fledge: 17-24 days

Barn Swallow In Flight © www.birdsna.org

Barn Swallow In Flight
(© Birdsna.org)

House Martins

House Martin © Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)

Colour	Distinctive, bright white throat and rump Glossy blue-black upper parts Brown-black wings and tail Black beak White-feathered legs and feet
Tail	Forked More solid in shape Lacks streamers Shorter than a swallow’s tail
Wings	Broad Short Pointed
Beak	Short Thin
Measurements	Length: 12 cm Wingspan: 26-29 cm Weight: 15-23 g
Sound	Song: a sharp “jik, jik” with ongoing, babbly twittering: Listen Call: a weak chirrup: Listen © Jean Roché, Sittelle.com (Garden-birds.co.uk)
Babas	Eggs: white, smooth, matt, 19 mm by 14 mm Juveniles: brown crowns, the white areas are buff-grey
Feeding	Feed during flight on insects such as flies, beetles, and aphids
Behaviour	Winter habitat: tropical Africa Visit Britain between mid-April and October Natural habitats: farmland, urban and suburban, wetland Nest in colonies Build mud cups under the eaves of houses - during dry periods, you can help them by leaving an area of wet mud for them to use Use the same nest for several years Male and female both feed the young and take turns incubating the eggs
Misc	House martins are smaller than swallows They can be confused with sand martins, who are smaller, brown, appear paler, have a breast band, lack the white rump, and they nest in sand banks and quarries

House Martin Nest - © M Palmer photorasa.com

Breeding starts: April-May
Clutches: 2-3
Eggs: 2-6
Incubation: 12-19 days
Fledge: 19-25 days

House Martin In Flight
(© http://www.record-lrc.co.uk/Images/Uploads/SpeciesSpotlight_holder/May%20-%20house%20martin.jpg)

Last But Not Least: Not a House Martin, But an Adorkable Looking Sand Martin
(© Axel Strauß [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)])

42 comments on Swift, Swallow Or Martin? How To Swiftly Tell The Difference

Allana Gray

This is such a great article, really informative. For years, since a child, I thought the birds which nested in our shed as a child were swallows but now I think they were House Martin’s. It’s difficult to identify them, they fly so fast! Thank you

August 05, 2020
Terry Baker

Thank you for helping us identify our swifts and swallows. We live in rural Peterborough and have more swallows than in previous years. They fly around in large groups – lovely to see.

August 05, 2020
Christopher Armstrong-Stevenson

Thank you for this clarification – I knew they were NOT swallows because of tail length, but the differences between House martins and Swifts eluded me. I now know I have House Martins – and they’re welcome. I live near the beach (Pacific Ocean) on the coastline of Oregon (NW part of the USA). I also have a very busy crowd of Hummingbirds – mostly Anna’s. They are a joy to watch – I have three large Fuchsia baskets with varied species, (including the Winston Churchill one) that the Hummers use as a feeding station.

August 05, 2020
Joy Christopher

Brilliant thank you. I’ve been excitedly watching my ‘swallows’ as I thought, now know them to be swifts since the beginning of April. I’m in the wilds of Norfolk and you wouldn’t think there was a shortage of them if you were here! We found one on the ground in a corner up against the house, it seemed to be trying to climb up the wall! We left it for a while, thinking it would take off in time and kept our cat in. Four hours later it was still there, a friend told us if it can’t take off its a swift and you have to throw it into the air! With great trepidation my partner picked it up gently in both hands and threw it quite strongly facing forward. it wobbled a bit then soared off over the neighbouring rooftops

August 05, 2020
Anet

I have just helped out one of our constant swift visitors to our flat in Barcelona. I love watching them in spring circling and screaming in the immense interior patio space. The catch the updrafts of warm air as I open the French windows.

August 05, 2020