Birds
Western House Martin
Delichon urbicum · Lăstun de casă
A small blue-black and white martin that builds mud nests under eaves.
At a glance
- Status in Romania
- Summer visitor
- Habitat
- Urban / Mountain
- Activity
- Morning · Daytime
- Diet
- Flying insects caught on the wing, often high up.
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
Photography Guide
Practical starting points based on the species’ behaviour and habitat, not fixed rules.
- Where and how to look
- Village houses, bridges and mountain chalets in summer.
- Best time / activity
- Morning · Daytime
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
- Starting shutter speed
- 1/2500 sec or faster in flight.
- Ethics
- Keep well back from colonies and nests on buildings or banks; never block flight paths to the nest.
Identification
Blue-black above with a pure white rump and white underparts; short forked tail.
Habitat
Breeds in colonies in villages, farms and towns, and on cliffs in undisturbed areas. Outside the breeding season often roosts in trees.
Distribution
Breeds very widely, from the Danube Delta to the mountains, including the alpine zone where there are buildings.
Approximate range in Romania
Diet
Flying insects caught on the wing, often high up.
Behaviour
Colonial; flocks gather on wires before migration.
Seasonality in Romania
Breeds in Romania and is migratory. Usually arrives from late March–early April and leaves for the wintering grounds in late September–early October.
- JanUnknown
- FebUnknown
- MarUnknown
- AprPresent
- MayPresent
- JunPresent
- JulPresent
- AugPresent
- SepPresent
- OctUnknown
- NovUnknown
- DecUnknown
Source-verified months inform the seasonal filters. Local timing can vary. Unconfirmed months do not imply absence. * Event timing retained from the earlier entry, not yet source-verified.
Breeding
Breeding begins in May; usually two clutches a year, incubated by both parents for 14–16 days.