The white-eyed river martin is a passerine bird, one of only two members of the river martin subfamily of the swallows. Since it has significant differences from its closest relative, the African river martin, it is sometimes placed in its own genus, Eurochelidon. First found in 1968, it is known only from a single wintering site in Thailand, and may be extinct, since it has not been seen since 1980 despite targeted surveys in Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia. It may possibly still breed in China or Southeast Asia, but a Chinese painting initially thought to depict this species was later reassessed as showing pratincoles.
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Confirmed only from winter records at Bueng Boraphet, a large freshwater lake and marsh system in central Thailand, where birds roosted communally in dense reedbeds. It is presumed to breed along large, lowland rivers with wide sandbars and adjacent floodplain habitats somewhere in mainland Southeast Asia or southern China, but this has never been verified. Typical habitats likely include open freshwater wetlands, broad river channels, and riparian edges with nearby open airspace for foraging.
Altitude Range
0–600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The white-eyed river martin is one of only two known river martins and is markedly different from typical swallows, with a heavier bill and distinctive pale iris. Discovered in 1968 at a single wintering site in Thailand, it has not been reliably recorded since 1980 and may be possibly extinct. Its breeding grounds remain unknown, and some authors have even placed it in a separate genus, Eurochelidon, due to its unusual traits.
Stuffed specimen at Chulalongkorn University Museum of Natural History
The African river martin is the white-eyed river martin's closest relative, and the two species may have similar breeding habits.
The numbers of barn swallows at Bueng Boraphet, which the martin accompanied to roost, are greatly reduced.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
fast, agile aerial flier over open water with sweeping, low passes
Social Behavior
Observed roosting in large mixed swallow flocks within reedbeds during the non-breeding season. Breeding behavior is unknown, but by analogy with the African river martin it is presumed to nest colonially in burrows on river sandbanks. Courtship and territoriality have not been documented.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations are poorly documented and were not described in the original observations. Its song and most calls remain effectively unknown.
