Gould commented 'The Swift, the Swallow, the Sand and House-Martins...are associated with summer; for it is at that time of season alone they appear among us...exacting our admiration by their graceful evolutions during flight. The fairy-like House-Martin, although shorter and more robust...attracts greater attention than either of the others, in consequence of the white spot on the rump showing very conspicuously as the bird glides away in the distance...presenting a great contrast to the adjoining dark-tinted plumage and the water over which the bird may be flying.'

DISTRIBUTION: Breeds in Eurasia (except extreme north and northeast) east to Sakhalin, south to the Mediterranean, northwest Africa, Iranian region, northwest India and west China; small colonies sometimes breed in southern Africa. Winters in tropical south Africa and south and southeast Asia