Best time to see: end Mar to mid Sep
Key facts
Smallest of the swallow-like birds, sandy brown above
Habitat: river and gravel pit banks, sea cliffs
Localised summer visitors; usually arriving in mid-March
Recognition
Completely brown upperparts, dark breast band, white below; 11–12 cm
Aerial and sociable birds, often gathering in twittering flocks
Feed on insects, and especially gnats, often in large flocks over water
Lifecycle
One of earliest migrants to arrive, usually in mid-March; leave for southern Africa in September
Colonial nesters in holes in sand banks, sometimes using drainage pipes; two broods of 4–5 white eggs, May to July
© David Harrison