Pale Martin or Pale Sand Martin (Riparia diluta)Â Â
A small passerine bird in the swallow family, the Pale Martin is brown above and white below with a brown chest band, which is slightly paler and less defined than the chest band in the Bank Swallow/Sand Martin (R. riparia). The present flock of birds was filmed at the Jim Corbett National Park, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India.
The bird is about 12 cm with shallow forked tails. The sexes are alike. It breeds in sympatry with Riparia riparia (Sand Martin) in separate breeding colonies. Sympatry generally refers to populations, varieties or species that occur in the same place at the same time utilising the same habitat. This type of distribution leads to interactions, competition and potentially even speciation or the evolution of new species.
The Pale Martin is found mainly in open country, often near water. It has also been reported upto 4500 mts. in the Himalayas. It roosts on reedbeds. The Northen populations are migratory. It winters mainly in North India but races have been recorded as far as Egypt, China, Vietnam. It may winter more widely in South East Asia.
The birds primarily eat flying insects which they catch in flight. The prey species depends mainly on the species locally available but can include mosquitoes, flies, ants and beetles. Mora data is needed.
The birds forage in groups and mix with other hirundines and swifts. The bird’s nest in small colonies in burrows created in streams or river banks, lake banks, road cuttings. The nest is made of grass and feathers at the end of the burrow. The clutch size could be 3 or 4 eggs in India and 4 to 7 eggs in China. The eggs are white and glossy about 1.3 cm x 1.9 cm. Incubation is performed by both parents. The incubation period is about 15 days and the fledgling stage is about 23 days. It is not globally threatened and is a species of Least Concern. It does not meet the threshold of vulnerable under the population size criteria which means 10,000 or less mature individuals with a continuing decline of 10% within ten years or three generations whatever is longer.
©Srimaa Communication
Credits- Dr. Yashpal Singh, Mrs. Neena Singh, Mr. Rajesh Bedi, Manoj Kumar Yadav