Hirundine update!
- Cheryl Poole
- Aug 31
- 3 min read
Hirundines are a family of songbirds who are found around the world on all the continents, even, occasionally in antartica. They well adapted to life on the wing, feeding off insects in the air. They have a streamline look.
Hirundines that we would be very familiar with here are swallows, sand martins and house martins. We also have swifts who look similar, but are in a different family, the Apodidae. I’ll explain them more in another post. But for the sake of telling them apart, I will be mentioning them here. They all breed here during our summer. They then winter in Sub-Saharan Africa, returning again in the spring.
It can seem hard to know which it is which, however if you understand a little about them, it becomes much easier.
 Swallow (internet stock image) | · Arrive late March, leave in September · Adult weight around 20g · Can have two broods of chicks with up to 4-5 in a brood · Nest in old shed or barns, in the rafters. Tend to swoop low over the ground. · Distinctive long tail streamers, dark, glossy blue back and head, pale belly and red chin. · Numbers decline due to loss of habitat and attack of nests by other birds, they are now amber listed in Ireland |
 Sand Martin (internet stock image) | · Typically the first Hirundine to arrive in early to mid March, leaving in September. · Adult weight about 13g. · Can have two broods with maximum of 4 -5 per brood · Nests typically in sandy banks. Opportunistic, will use any suitable nest site. · Mostly brown but with a white chin and belly. · Numbers have fluctuated over the years but currently they are amber listed in Ireland. |
 House Martin (internet stock image) | · Arrive March/April and leaving in September · Adult weight around 18g · Can have two broods of chicks with about 4-5 in a brood · Typically nest under the eaves of houses, making cup like structures from mud · Dark blue back, and brown/black wings, they can be identified in flight by their distinctive white underside · They are currently red listed. Reason could be due to increased use of PVC facia reducing grip for their nests |
 Swift (internet stock image) | · Typically arrives in May, and leave in August. · Adult weight around 38g · They have just one brood of chicks with up to 2 – 3 chicks in a brood · Nest in crevices high up on old building. You will not see a swift nest, or any droppings. They fastidiously clean. · Brown in colour with small white patch on their chin. They have a very distinctive screeching call · Long thin, sickle shaped wings. Very fast in flight. Bursts of quick wing beats. · They never land from fledging to when they return to breed. If you see a bird perched somewhere it is definitely NOT a swift. · Red listed in Ireland. Rapid decline seen in numbers. Due to habitat loss and possibly bad summers |
All of the above have had a great summer here this year. We have seen our first generation of Ballyowen born swifts fledge and all the swifts left for Africa several weeks ago.
The hirundines, i.e., swallows, sand martins and house martins however are slower to leave us. Some have definitely begun the journey south, while others are enjoying the last of the summer. We have had a big population boost this year with a lot of the sand martins and swallows who nest on the farm having two successful broods. We don’t currently have house martins nesting here, but have nest cups up on the house, so hopefully next year. They are around though, and also seem very plentiful.
These days we have a lot of lovely big groups of juveniles in our sky, filling up on insects and building up their flying hours! They seem so playful and full of the joy of life. Sometimes there are up to 30 all resting on wires, or roofs together. It seems to me that as soon as they see a camera, they all take flight!
It is just incredible to think that very soon, their instinct will drive them to start heading south. Hopefully they travel safely and we get to welcome a lot of them back next spring.
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