Swallows and Martins

Legend has it that Welcome Swallow is so named because Captain Cook and other European sailors would see them and know they were close to land. A welcome sight indeed. 

Welcome Swallow are common across Australia, except in the dry interior and very hot north. They are concentrated in coastal areas. They feed on insects that live in grasses and open areas. 

The totally dark back distinguishes them from the martin species. The rusty head is variable but generally bright and deep in adult birds. 

There are other species of swallow that visit Australia but the Welcome Swallow is by far, the most common. The White-backed Swallow is stunning and definitely on my hit list.

I don't know why, but the Fairy Martin are my favourite of the Hirundinidae family. They are easy to separate from the swallows as they a very obvious pale rump and shorter tail. Telling the Fairy and Tree Martin apart is difficult in flight, with the head colour being the difference. When at rest, and in sunlight, the Fairy Martin is very pretty. 

The Fairy Martin is common to uncommon across a wide part of Australia. Absent from hot areas of Western Australia, they bizzarely are reported in the very hot centre. This could reflect an absence of people in the desert areas of WA, rather than a lack of population.

Fairy Martin prefer more open areas than the Tree Martin and are often seen along roadside culverts, as they nest inside them. 

The Tree Martin always looks a little muddy in my photographs. The dark head and streaky face make photographs of them look slightly blurry even when they are in focus. 

 Tree Martin are widespread with a similar distribution to the Fairy Martin but are more common. They can be found in the same habitat as their counterpart but also in wooded areas which probably accounts for the more dense range as shown on the map.