Put the bird(s) in a small bowl in a ventilated box and in a warm, quiet place. Contact a rehabber from our emergency contacts/contact your local wildlife rescue centre or email us at:
contact@
If you can’t make contact with a rehabber follow the help steps below.
The house martin could be confused with the sand martin, swallow or swift. Click on the accompanying images to see that the house martin is predominantly black and white with blue flashings and white hairy legs. The sand martin is probably the most similar and easily confused with, being predominantly brown and white. Both species have short forked tails. The swallow has distinctive long tail feathers and has a red chin. The swift is dull brown , appearing black, with sickle shaped wings.
Compare the nest sites here
Illustrations by © Jonathan Pomroy
Never attempt to see if a bird can fly by throwing them up in the air. If the bird is feathered and old enough to fly, placing it in the open palm of a hand, facing into the wind for a short while, should be enough to tempt a bird that is ready to fly. If it doesn’t, it’s not ready!
Rescue birds are best cared for by a rehabilitator. But until you can find one, below is some short term general care advice. NOTE: house martins are sociable birds so one bird should not be kept on its own and should be taken to a rehabilitator immediately.
Never attempt to see if a bird can fly by throwing them up in the air. If the bird is feathered and old enough to fly, placing it in the open palm of a hand, facing into the wind for a short while, should be enough to tempt a bird that is ready to fly. If it doesn’t, it’s not ready!
If you have a house martin emergency please select your area from the list below to show the available contacts.
We are always working to update our list of rescues and rehabbers, if you are a trained house martin rehabilitator and would like to be added to our list, please get in touch.
House Martin Conservation UK & Ireland are not responsible for the content or views expressed on third party websites.
Feeding a house martin that is reluctant to take food
Exercising in play tent
Releasing house martins