Banded Martin

Banded Martin

Riparia cincta

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Tsavo West National Park
15 Verified sightings at Tsavo West National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,102 Verified sightings across all 42 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Banded Martin

The banded martin or banded sand martin (Neophedina cincta) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that is endemic to Africa. It is the only species placed in the genus Neophedina. The banded martin was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected from the Cape of Good Hope. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Hirundo cincta in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées.

The banded martin was formerly placed in the genus Riparia. A genetic study found that it belonged to a different clade to other members of the genus, and it was moved to the genus Neophedina that had been introduced in 1922 by the South African zoologist Austin Roberts. The specific epithet cincta is from Latin cinctus meaning "banded".

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Closest Relatives at Tsavo West National Park

Bank Swallow
LC

Bank Swallow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Riparia riparia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Plain Martin
LC

Plain Martin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Riparia paludicola

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Barn Swallow
LC

Barn Swallow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hirundo rustica

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Lesser Striped-Swallow
LC

Lesser Striped-Swallow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cecropis abyssinica

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Rock Martin
LC

Rock Martin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ptyonoprogne fuligula

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Wire-tailed Swallow
LC

Wire-tailed Swallow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hirundo smithii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Black Sawwing
LC

Black Sawwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Psalidoprocne pristoptera

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
House Martin
LC

House Martin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Delichon urbicum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Mosque Swallow
LC

Mosque Swallow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cecropis senegalensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-headed Sawwing
LC

White-headed Sawwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Psalidoprocne albiceps

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Ethiopian Swallow
LC

Ethiopian Swallow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hirundo aethiopica

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Superb Starling
LC

Superb Starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis superbus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

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

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Banded Martin in Tsavo West National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Martin sighting in Tsavo West National Park, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Banded Martin in Tsavo West National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for Banded Martin in Tsavo West National Park in our monthly data.

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