Tree Martin
Petrochelidon nigricans
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyHirundinidae (Swallows and Martins)
- GenusPetrochelidon (Cliff Swallows and Allies)
- SpeciesPetrochelidon nigricans (Tree Martin)
About the Tree Martin
The tree martin (Petrochelidon nigricans) is a member of the swallow family of passerine birds. It breeds in Australia, mostly south of latitude 20°S, and on Timor island. It is migratory, wintering through most of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia east of the Wallace Line, and the Solomon Islands. It is a vagrant to New Zealand, where it has bred, and New Caledonia. This species is frequently placed in the genus Hirundo as Hirundo nigricans.
This is a bird of open woodland, preferably with large trees to provide nest holes. It is increasingly common in urban and suburban areas. The tree martin was formally described in 1817 by the French ornithologist Louis Vieillot under the binomial name Hirundo nigricans. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "blackish". Vieillot gave the type locality as "Nouvelle-Hollande" (New South Wales) but this has been corrected to Hobart, Tasmania. The tree martin is now one of ten swallows placed in the genus Petrochelidon that was introduced in 1851 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis.
Three subspecies are recognised: P. n. timoriensis Sharpe, 1885 – the smallest subspecies, breeds on Sumba, Timor and Alor Island (southwest, east... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat
Pacific Swallow
Hirundo javanica
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Willie Wagtail
Rhipidura leucophrys
Helmeted Friarbird
Philemon buceroides
Torresian Crow
Corvus orru
Glossy-mantled Manucode
Manucodia ater
Red Bird-of-Paradise
Paradisaea rubra
Shining Flycatcher
Myiagra alecto
Hooded Butcherbird
Cracticus cassicus
Artamus leucorhynchos
Artamus leucorhynchos
Mimic Honeyeater
Microptilotis analogus
Yellow-faced Myna
Mino dumontii
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 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 18 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 19 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 20 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 21 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 22 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |