The pale martin or pale sand martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.
Region
Central Asia and northern East Asia
Typical Environment
Breeds along rivers, lakeshores, and steppe watercourses with exposed sandy or loess cliffs, from southern Siberia and Mongolia into northern China. It favors open country near water, where large colonies can dig nest tunnels in friable substrates. Outside the breeding season it occurs over wetlands, floodplains, agricultural fields, and open grasslands, often far from nesting sites. Wintering birds move south into the Indian subcontinent and surrounding regions, frequenting warm lowlands with abundant aerial insects.
Altitude Range
0–2500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The pale martin, also called the pale sand martin, is a small swallow closely resembling the sand martin but with paler brown upperparts and a weaker, often broken breast band. It nests colonially in burrows excavated in sandy or loess banks along rivers and lakes. As an aerial insectivore, it helps control flying insect populations and undertakes seasonal migrations between Central Asian breeding grounds and South Asian wintering areas.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
agile flier with rapid, flickering wingbeats
Social Behavior
Strongly colonial; dozens to hundreds of pairs may excavate nest burrows in the same bank. Pairs are monogamous within a season and both sexes participate in digging and rearing. Nests are simple tunnels ending in a small chamber lined with grasses and feathers.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Soft, twittering calls and dry trills given in flight over colonies and feeding areas. Vocalizations are higher-pitched and less harsh than larger swallows, with frequent contact chips as birds circle and forage.
