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Grey-Throated Martin | Riparia chinensis
Indische oeverzwaluw | Avión paludícola asiático
The Grey-throated Martin is a small martin of the rivers of South and South-east Asia that has turned up in this region only as a vagrant. It is the smallest, greyest hirundine in any flock and is first noticed for exactly that reason.
Voice
A weak, high chrr and a soft twittering, thinner than in Bank Swallow.
Recording: Lars Lachmann — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · converted to mono · xeno-canto
Identification
10–11 cm. Clearly smaller than Bank Swallow, with a short, only slightly notched tail. The upperparts are grey-brown, the rump slightly paler. Throat, cheeks and upper breast are dull grey to grey-brown and merge without a band into an off-white belly and white undertail coverts. The underwing is dark grey-brown. Sexes alike; juveniles have pale fringes to the wing coverts.
Confusion species
Brown-throated Martin (Riparia paludicola) is the most similar, but is slightly larger, warmer brown on the throat and breast and has a less contrasting white belly; in this region it occurs only in Morocco and as a vagrant in Egypt and Israel. Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) and Pale Martin (Riparia diluta) have a white throat with a (faint) breast band. Pale Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne obsoleta) is larger, paler and has white spots in the tail.
Habitat
In Asia at rivers with sandbanks and steep banks, where it breeds in small colonies, and over lakes and marshes. The vagrants in this region were at marshes, reservoirs, parks and irrigated fields, among other hirundines.
Where the bird is most at home, classified by the habitats of North Africa and the Middle East.
Range and movements
In this region a vagrant only. In Kuwait one stayed in Jahra reserve from late November to late December 2017, together with a Pale Martin; acceptance by the Kuwaiti committee was not known at the time of writing. In Oman there are reports from Sohar (October 2011, November 2013) and Muscat (March 2004). Beyond the region the species ranges from Pakistan and northern India through Nepal and Bangladesh to southern China, Taiwan and the Philippines, mostly resident with wandering outside the breeding season.
How and when to look
The best chance is for those who check winter flocks of Bank Swallows and Pale Martins in Kuwait, Oman or the Emirates. Look for the smallest bird with a uniform grey throat and no band, and photograph upper and lower sides for the committee.
Conservation status
Not globally threatened and common in large parts of Asia. In this region a very rare vagrant, with a few occurrences since 2004.
Scientific name
Riparia chinensis | (Gray, 1830)
Gray described the species in 1830 as Hirundo chinensis; because it was later moved to another genus, the author and year stand in brackets. The genus Riparia was introduced in 1817 by Forster. Riparia comes from Latin riparius 'of the riverbank', from ripa 'riverbank', after the nest burrows these martins dig in steep banks. chinensis is Latin for 'Chinese', after China. The specimen the first description was based on came from an unknown locality.