Martins are a type of swallow that are found throughout North America. They are migratory birds, meaning they travel long distances between their summer breeding grounds and their wintering grounds. During the day in the summer breeding season, martins can be found busy tending to their nests and raising their young. But where exactly do they spend their days while not on the nest?
Foraging for Food
A major activity martins engage in during daylight hours in the summer is foraging for food. Swallows are aerial insectivores, meaning they catch and eat insects while in flight. Martins feed primarily on flying insects like flies, bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and ballooning spiders. They will swoop and dive through the air to snag their prey, sometimes flying quite high overhead. Martins are agile and acrobatic fliers, adept at catching insects on the wing.
Martins hunt for insects over open areas like fields, pastures, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and oceans. They avoid dense forested areas where there are fewer flying insects and it is harder to maneuver. One study that attached radio transmitters to martins found the average foraging range during the breeding season was 1.9 km for males and 1.2 km for females from the colony site or nest. The maximum distances recorded were 6.9 km for males and 4.7 km for females as they searched for adequate food resources.
Martins may spend several hours throughout the day hunting for insects to eat. This food is needed to provide them with enough energy for their aerial activities and to bring back food to feed their nestlings.
Where Martins Forage
- Open areas like fields, pastures, wetlands
- Over rivers, lakes, oceans
- Average 1.9 km from colony/nest for males
- Average 1.2 km from colony/nest for females
- Up to 6.9 km foraging range for males
- Up to 4.7 km foraging range for females
Drinking and Bathing
In addition to hunting insects, martins will also spend time during the day drinking and bathing. They typically get most of their water needs met through the moisture content of the insects they eat. But martins will also visit open water sources like rivers, lakes, ponds, and puddles to drink by dipping down to the surface while in flight.
Martins also bathe frequently by skimming the water surface and splashing water up onto their feathers. Bathing serves several purposes for martins and other swallows. It helps keep their feathers in good condition and waterproof for flight. It also helps them regulate body temperature on hot days. And it may help deter parasites like feather mites from taking up residence.
These water sources may be near their nesting sites, or martins may travel some distance to find suitable locations for drinking and bathing throughout the day.
Water Sources for Drinking and Bathing
- Rivers
- Lakes
- Ponds
- Puddles
Roosting and Resting
Martins are active, agile fliers. But even they need to take breaks from flying periodically throughout the day. When not actively foraging, they will seek out safe spots to roost and rest. Martins may gather in groups at dawn or dusk to roost communally before beginning their daytime activities or settling in for the night.
During the day, martins may roost alone or in small groups. They often return to the nesting colony to rest on nests or perch on sites like:
- Trees
- Snags (dead trees)
- Cliffs
- Boulders
- Human-made structures like barns, bridges, and communication towers
Martins seem to prefer open, elevated sites for roosting that allow them to spot potential predators approaching. They may only rest for short periods before resuming aerial foraging. But having sheltered spots to temporarily perch and regain energy is an important part of their daily routine.
Socializing and Mating
In addition to the utilitarian tasks of feeding and resting, martins also spend quite a bit of their daytime hours socializing with other members of their colony. Social interactions help maintain the cohesion and cooperation in martin colonies.
Martins will put on acrobatic display flights to impress potential mates or defend their territory from intruders. This involves climbing high in the sky above the colony and then diving back down while making calls and showing off their flying skills.
Pairs of martins may perch near each other and preen each other’s feathers as a means of pair bonding. Martins typically mate for life from year to year. The male will also closely follow and guard the female as she gathers nesting material to discourage harassment by other males.
Throughout the day you may see martins chasing each other in flight and skirmishing over nesting cavities or other resources. But they will also congregate peacefully in groups to sun themselves, preen, or watch for predators.
Social Activities
- Display flights
- Preening each other
- Guarding mates
- Chasing each other
- Peacefully congregating in groups
Nest Construction and Defense
A major focus of activity for martins during the day in breeding season is attending to their nests. Nest building and defending nesting sites is a key part of their daily routine.
Male and female martins work together to build their nests, though the female does the majority of construction while the male guards and passes her materials. Nests are made of mud and plant materials and attached to vertical surfaces on cliffs, buildings, or human-provided housing.
Martins are sociable nesters, preferring to nest in dense colonies with many pairs clustered together. Both males and females will help defend the colony from predators and intrusions from other martins looking to claim a site.
Females lay and incubate a clutch of around 5 eggs that hatch after about 2 weeks. Both parents help feed and care for the chicks until they fledge at around a month old. Martins may raise 2-3 broods in a breeding season, so nest activities keep them busy throughout the daytime hours.
Nesting Activities
- Building nests of mud and plants
- Females doing most construction
- Males guard nest sites
- Defending colony from predators and intruders
- Incubating and raising chicks
Migration
Martins spend the majority of their daytime hours in summer busily provisioning their nests and raising young. But as autumn approaches, their activities shift to preparing for migration.
In late summer and early fall, martins begin congregating in large pre-migratory flocks, sometimes numbering thousands of birds. They feed heavily during the day to store up fat reserves needed to fuel their long migratory journeys.
Martins show increased restlessness and are more reactive to disturbances from predators as their urge to migrate builds. Their days are spent restlessly moving between roosting, feeding, and drinking sites as they get ready to depart.
By late September and October, martins migrate south en masse to their wintering grounds in South America. There the cycle will begin again as they spend their days foraging, roosting, socializing, and preparing for the return migration north in spring.
Pre-Migration Activities
- Feeding heavily to store fat
- Increased restlessness
- Moving between roosting, feeding, drinking sites
- Flocking in preparation for migration
Wintering in South America
When martins migrate south for the winter, their daily habits and activities change significantly. Their time is no longer occupied by breeding duties and instead focused on survival until spring.
During winter, martins inhabit open and semi-open natural habitats in South America like grasslands, savannahs, open woodlands, forest edges, wetlands, and agricultural areas. Their days are spent foraging on the wing for insects and other aerial prey at these sites.
They continue to roost communally in sizable flocks, which may offer safety through more eyes watching for potential predators. Different martin species may mix together in these winter roosting flocks.
The daily foraging ranges and distances travelled likely increases compared to the breeding season as martins are not tied to a centralized nesting colony. Competition for scarce resources on the wintering grounds may also necessitate longer flights in search of food.
By late winter, martins once again become restless and prepare for the northward migration back to their summer breeding homes, where the cycle of nesting activities will begin anew.
Winter Activities
- Foraging for insects in open habitats
- Roosting communally in flocks
- Increased foraging ranges and distances
- Preparing for spring migration
Conclusion
In summary, martins stay busy throughout the day during the breeding season tending to critical activities like foraging for food, drinking and bathing, defending nest sites, constructing nests, raising young, and socializing. As the season progresses, more time is focused on energizing for migration and flocking in preparation for their journey south. On the wintering grounds, daily routines revolve around foraging for food while roosting communally in flocks to survive until spring migration.
The daily habits of martins revolve around maximizing chances for survival and reproductive success. Their activities through the day and seasons are precisely aligned with the demands of their natural history as aerial insectivorous birds. Understanding their daily and seasonal routines provides insight into the behaviors and adaptations that allow martins to thrive as aerial acrobats.
Season | Location | Key Activities |
---|---|---|
Breeding Season | North America | Foraging for food, drinking/bathing, defending nests, building nests, raising young, socializing, pre-migration flocking |
Winter | South America | Foraging for food, communal roosting in flocks, preparing for spring migration |