Plain Martin

Riparia paludicola

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
FamilyHirundinidae (Swallows and Martins)
GenusRiparia (Sand Martins, Plain Martins, and Allies)
SpeciesRiparia paludicola (Plain Martin)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Golden Gate Highlands National Park

3 Verified sightings at Golden Gate Highlands National Park From 2019 to 2026

3,977 Verified sightings across all 49 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Plain Martin

The brown-throated martin, brown-throated sand martin or plain martin (Riparia paludicola) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family, Hirundinidae, that is widely distributed across Africa. It was formerly regarded as conspecific with the grey-throated martin (Riparia chinensis) and the Madagascar martin (Riparia cowani).

The brown-throated martin was formally described in 1817 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot. He placed it in the genus Hirundo and coined the binomial name Hirundo paludicola. The specific epithet paludicola is Latin meaning "marsh-dweller" (from palus, paludis meaning "swamp" and -cola meaning "dweller". Vieillot based his account on "L'hirondelle à front roux" from South Africa that had been described and illustrated in 1806 by François Levaillant. The brown-throated martin is now one of six martins placed in the genus Riparia that was introduced in 1817 by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the grey-throated martin (Riparia chinensis) and the Madagascar martin (Riparia cowani).

Six subspecies are recognised. They differ in size and plumage tones of the upperparts... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Riparia cincta

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Ptyonoprogne fuligula

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Cecropis cucullata

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Hirundo albigularis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Hirundo rustica

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Petrochelidon spilodera

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Cecropis abyssinica

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Lamprotornis bicolor

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Onychognathus morio

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Saxicola torquatus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Emberiza capensis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

LC Endemic

Lanius collaris

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~40%
2	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~40%
3	Aberdare National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~30%
4	Gonarezhou National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~20%
5	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	~20%
6	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~20%
7	South Luangwa National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	~10%
8	Awash National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	~10%
9	Mana Pools National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~10%
10	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
11	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
12	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
13	Ranomafana National Park	🇲🇬 Madagascar	~10%
14	Bale Mountains National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	~10%
15	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
16	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
17	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
18	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
19	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
20	Mikumi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
21	Lower Zambezi National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	<5%
22	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
23	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
24	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
25	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	<5%
26	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
27	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
28	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	<5%
29	Volcanoes National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
30	Mkomazi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
31	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
32	Namib-Naukluft National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	<5%
33	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
34	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
35	Samburu National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
36	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
37	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
38	Nyungwe National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
39	Bwindi Impenetrable National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
40	Golden Gate Highlands National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
41	Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
42	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
43	Meru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	Insufficient data
44	Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	Insufficient data
45	Semuliki National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
46	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	Insufficient data
47	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	Insufficient data
48	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
49	Etosha National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	Insufficient data

← Back to Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Plain Martin

About the Plain Martin

Closest Relatives at Golden Gate Highlands National Park

Banded Martin

Rock Martin

Greater Striped-Swallow

White-throated Swallow

Barn Swallow

South African Swallow

Lesser Striped-Swallow

Pied Starling

Red-winged Starling

African Stonechat

Cape Bunting

Southern Fiscal

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found