Banded Martin ( Riparia cincta, family: Hirundinidae)

banded martin kruger national park birds The Banded Martin (Latin name Riparia cincta) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 534 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 745 also a picture of the Banded Martin on page 801. The Banded Martin belongs to the family of birds classified as Hirundinidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Banded Martin is also known by these other names: Banded Sand Martin.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Banded Martin is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a rare summer resident

In terms of distribution of the Banded Martin in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Banded Martin : see above distribution map.

Identification assistance for this avian species ...

One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Banded Martin is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the Banded Martin is about 18 cms and its weight is about 26 gms

The male and female Banded Martin have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is grey.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is white.
  • Back is grey, brown.
  • Legs are pink.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Banded Martin feeds on the ground mainly

Invertebrates

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Banded Martin is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Riparia cincta will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Banded Martin is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 5

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Banded Martin are: woodlands and arid areas including grasslands. The Banded Martin is also at home in wetland and riverine areas.

You can see Banded Martin in flocks. The bird will often also be seen singly.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Unknown

Zulu ... Unknown

Afrikaans ...Gebande Oewerswael

German ... Bindenschwalbe, Weibrauenschwalbe, Gebnderte Uferschwalbe

Portuguese ... Andorinha-das-barreiras-de-colar

French ... Hirondelle collier

Dutch ... Bandoeverzwaluw, Witbrauwzwaluw

First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list

For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 534

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za