Bird Description

Fairly common and widespread in suburban and rural areas with open grassy areas for feeding. Breeds almost exclusively in man-made boxes - multi-chambered houses or gourds where colonies create squabbling choruses. Travel further afield to feed but always call on the way home. Early to arrive in spring, they depart en masse in late summer. October martins in the N are rare and should be checked carefully. ID: Large and powerful but stiff, recalling a stocky falcon. Broad wings and tail with shallow fork. Flies powerfully but glides more than other smaller swallows. Ad ?: uniformly dark blue, often appearing black. Ad ?: variable amounts of blue and brown in upperparts with paler collar contrasting with dark head. Underparts also variable: dingy gray-brown, darkest around throat and palest in central belly with smudgy streaks. Dark centers to undertail coverts. Juv: grayer and paler with fine streaks on underparts and pale undertail coverts. 1st-s: fairly common in breeding colonies, these retain juv fine streaks on belly and vent with many adult-type feathers elsewhere, more blue in ?.