Neophedina cincta
The Banded Martin (Neophedina cincta) is a distinctive medium-sized swallow, typically measuring 15-17 cm (6-6.7 in) in length and weighing around 20-30 grams. Its upperparts are a dull brown, contrasting sharply with its clean white underparts, which are bisected by a prominent, broad dark brown breast band-its most definitive field mark. The throat is also white, sometimes extending slightly up the sides of the neck. It possesses a moderately forked tail, characteristic of many swallows and...
This martin thrives in open country, including savannas, grasslands, cultivated lands, and lightly wooded areas, often found near water bodies or suitable sandy banks for nesting. It occurs from sea level up to elevations exceeding 2000 meters in some parts of its range.
The diet of the Banded Martin consists exclusively of aerial insects, primarily flies, beetles, moths, and winged ants. They forage by tirelessly hawking their prey directly from the air.
Banded Martins are diurnal and highly agile aerial insectivores, spending much of their day hawking insects on the wing with swift, gliding flight. They are colonial breeders, excavating tunnels up to a meter deep in sandy riverbanks, earth cliffs, road cuttings, and even active termite mounds, t...
The Banded Martin is broadly distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, with its breeding range extending from Senegal in the west, eastward across the Sahel to Sudan and Eritrea, and then south through East Africa all the way to South Africa. Some populations are resident year-round, particularly in...
Least Concern
- The Banded Martin's scientific name, *cincta*, is Latin for 'belted' or 'banded,' a direct reference to its most prominent identifying mark. - It is one of the few martin species known to regularly excavate nest burrows in the sides of active termite mounds, utilizing the sturdy structure. - Th...