Eurasian Crag Martin

• GeneralIt is the least migratory of Europe's swallows and martins: many winter in Iberia.
• It is the only hirundine that can be seen on the Iberian Peninsula all year round.
• It flies with remarkable precision close in to vertical rock faces, working along them a few centimetres out and at great speed.
• Despite its name it is not confined to the mountains: in summer it occupies mid-altitude and high mountains, but in winter it comes down to the coast.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Rock faces, gorges and dams

Birth weight

Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent

Size at birth

Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent

Sexual maturity

1 year

Gestation / incubation

14 days, incubated mostly by the female, relieved briefly by the male when she goes off to feed

Litter / clutch size

3-5 white eggs with small brown blotches, with two clutches a year. The nest is a half-cup of mud mixed with dry grass and stems, stuck to the rock and lined inside with feathers and moss

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; SEO/BirdLife (III Atlas: Prieta Díaz 2022); Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas; Sierra de Baza (ficha técnica); Naturaleza Para Todos; Animalia.bio

Best time: All year round: it is the only swallow that can be seen on the Iberian Peninsula in all twelve months