The dusky crag martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It is about 13 cm (5 in) long with a broad body and wings, and a short square tail that has small white patches near the tips of most of its feathers. This martin has sooty-brown upperparts and slightly paler underparts. The two subspecies are resident breeding birds in South Asia from the Indian subcontinent to southwestern China and the northern parts of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
Region
South and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs from the Indian subcontinent east to southwestern China and northern Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Prefers natural cliffs, gorges, rocky outcrops, and escarpments but readily uses human structures such as bridges, culverts, temples, and high-rise buildings for nesting. Forages in open airspace, often hugging cliff faces and canyon walls where rising air concentrates flying insects. Frequently present around dams and quarries and can be common in towns with suitable vertical surfaces.
Altitude Range
0–3000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Dusky crag martins often nest on cliffs and increasingly on buildings, bridges, and dams, using mud to form shallow cup nests. They forage with tight, agile flights close to rock faces where updrafts concentrate insects. The small white spots near the tips of the tail feathers are a useful field mark in flight. They are typically non-migratory, remaining near suitable cliffy habitats year-round.
Old forts provide alternative nest sites to natural cliffs
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile, close-to-surface maneuvers
Social Behavior
Breeds in pairs or loose colonies, often with multiple nests on the same cliff or structure. Both sexes gather mud and build a shallow cup nest under overhangs or ledges. Parents share incubation and chick feeding, and post-breeding roosts can form on suitable cliff faces or buildings.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Soft twittering and dry chips, with simple chirps during flight and at nests. Vocalizations are more conversational than musical, often given in brief bursts around colonies.
