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Bank Swallow (Sand Martin) or Brown-chested Martin, Venezuela (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter iainp
- Start date
Jan-Paul Charteris
Sussex birder and budding moth enthusiast
Only know Brown-chested Martin from images I've googled, but the flanks appear brown which would seem to suggest that rather than Bank Swallow
Jan
Jan
BuckeyeAZ
Just this bloke, you know
It doesn’t strike me as having the structure of a sand martin, but:
a) this is just a single photo – 2 secs later the bird might’ve looked quite different in posture, etc.;
b) it’s the work of seconds to google for photos of sand martins in flight showing more extensive dark on the flanks than your bird http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sa...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1023&bih=488 – so I don’t think I’d use that as a feature to tick it on.
Head/hindneck plumage pattern looks wrong for sand martin.
You choose! - or wait for someone who actually knows how to ID brown-chested martin ;-)
a) this is just a single photo – 2 secs later the bird might’ve looked quite different in posture, etc.;
b) it’s the work of seconds to google for photos of sand martins in flight showing more extensive dark on the flanks than your bird http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sa...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1023&bih=488 – so I don’t think I’d use that as a feature to tick it on.
Head/hindneck plumage pattern looks wrong for sand martin.
You choose! - or wait for someone who actually knows how to ID brown-chested martin ;-)
Larry Sweetland
Formerly 'Larry Wheatland'
Can you remember seeing it? There's a pretty noticeable size difference, and you're unlikely to think a BCM is a Sand Martin in the field on that alone.
Using the birdforum gallery is usually safer than using google, because of the large proportion of mis-id on the web. (hint, entry through Opus usually ensures a good search specificity).
Looking there, it seems that brown-chested M has a dark central breast stripe which your bird seems to show and which SM rarely shows. I am therefore one more leaning BcM on this one.
Niels
Looking there, it seems that brown-chested M has a dark central breast stripe which your bird seems to show and which SM rarely shows. I am therefore one more leaning BcM on this one.
Niels
iainp
Well-known member
Thanks all. Once again you've given me lots to think about....
Larry, re size: I can't remember. it was a year ago, and it was just the one shot unfortunately. Suddenly coming face to face with dozens of completely new species every day threw me so I spent all my time indiscriminately photographing everything that moved. In retrospect, a mistake....
Larry, re size: I can't remember. it was a year ago, and it was just the one shot unfortunately. Suddenly coming face to face with dozens of completely new species every day threw me so I spent all my time indiscriminately photographing everything that moved. In retrospect, a mistake....
