Open Zoo Museum

Rock Martin (Large)

11–14 cm; 16–30 g. Nominate race has dark earth-brown crown and upperparts, darker brown wings and tail; tail square, white spots on inner webs of feathers (except central and, usually, outer pairs); chin and throat pinkish cinnamon, colour extending over upper breast and underwing-coverts; belly and undertail-coverts dark grey-brown. Distinguished from Riparia species by white in tail, no breastband. Sexes alike. Juvenile has buff feather edges to upperparts. Races differ in size and in depth of colour: pretoriae is marginally bigger and paler than nominate; anderssoni is paler, greyer and marginally smaller than nominate.

Rock Martin (Red-throated)

11–12 cm; 10–17·8 g. Adult has head down to ear-coverts dark brown and upperparts  same colour but washed grey, tail also dark brown and square-ended or slightly forked, with large white spots on inner web of outermost four pairs; chin and throat  pinkish fawn, becoming rufescent dark brown on breast, and dark brown over rest of underparts; axillaries and underwing-coverts also dark brown; bill black, eyes dark brown, and legs and feet dusky pinkish brown. Distinguished from Riparia species by white in tail, no breastband. Sexes alike. Juvenile  has buff fringes to tertials, wing-coverts and mantle to rump feathers. Races differ in size and in depth of colour: nominate is smaller and darker, dark brown, throat pinkish-fawn, breast tinged rufescent; and bansoensis is even darker, with glossy upperparts.

Rock Martin (Pale Crag-Martin)

12·5–14 cm; 14–24·5 g; wingspan 27·5–30 cm. Small to medium-sized, short-tailed hirundine  with washed-out colours, including rather pale grey-brown upperparts  , cream-white and buff below  , with a paler, unstreaked throat and less contrastingly dark underwing-coverts. White spots  in spread tail and undertail-coverts also rather pale. Distinguished from very similar P. rupestris by smaller size (usually up to c. 15%) and generally slightly paler, greyer coloration; from Riparia species by white in tail, no breastband. Sexes alike. Juvenile has buff to pale rufous feather fringes on upperparts and distinctly rufous wash to throat and vent. Races differ as follows: pusilla has breast pinkish grey; buchanani differs from last in somewhat paler coloration; arabica is paler and greyer, throat light pink, breast pale grey-brown with pink wash, slightly larger than last; spatzi resembles previous but slightly paler, is more buff below, with less pink tinge; presaharica is very like last but slightly paler, more sandy; nominate is paler and greyer than last, more grey-brown, whitish below; perpallida is very pale, whitish grey above, whitish below; and pallida is pale sandy grey above, rump paler, buffish-white throat, whitish below.