On the breeding ecology of House Martins Delichon urbica (Linnaeus 1758) in Northeast Algeria

Abstract

The study of the reproductive biology of House Martins Delichon urbica was carried out in the cities of Guelma and Hammam Debagh, Northeast Algeria during two years 2013 and 2014. Birds of this species produce two broods per year and per breeding pair. At both study sites, the egg-laying period lasted for almost four months. Egg weight and volume differed between broods and years. The mean clutch size was 3.87 ± 1.29, 4.19 ± 1.02 in Guelma and 3.93 ± 1.13, 3.64 ± 1.30 in Hammam in 2013 and 2014, respectively, with a seasonal decline. Hatching success reached 69 and 74.25% in Guelma, and 74.20 and 63.39% in Hammam in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Fledging success was 64.57 and 72.62% in Guelma, whereas, in Hammam it was 72.22 and 58.16% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Hatching failure was the main cause of mortality. The breeding parameters and morphometrics of the House Martin’s eggs in Algeria determined during our study differed from those reported in previous studies carried out in different parts of Europe.

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On the breeding ecology of House Martins
Delichon urbica (Linnaeus 1758) in Northeast
Algeria
Bochra Hamlaoui, Meriem Rouaiguia, Rabah Zebsa, Fadhila Kafi, Soumia
Haddad, Naoual Lahlah & Moussa Houhamdi
To cite this article: Bochra Hamlaoui, Meriem Rouaiguia, Rabah Zebsa, Fadhila Kafi, Soumia
Haddad, Naoual Lahlah & Moussa Houhamdi (2016): On the breeding ecology of House
Martins Delichon urbica (Linnaeus 1758) in Northeast Algeria, Zoology and Ecology, DOI:
10.1080/21658005.2016.1149350
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ZOOLOGY AND ECOLOGY, 2016
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21658005.2016.1149350
On the breeding ecology of House Martins Delichon urbica (Linnaeus 1758) in
Northeast Algeria
Bochra Hamlaouia, Meriem Rouaiguiab, Rabah Zebsab, Fadhila Kab, Soumia Haddadb, Naoual Lahlahb and
Moussa Houhamdib
aLaboratoire des Ressources Naturelles et Aménagement des Milieux Sensibles (RNAMS), Faculté des Sciences, Département de Biologie,
Université Larbi Ben M’hidi d’Oum El-Bouaghi, Oum El-Bouaghi, Algérie; bDepartment of Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Faculté
SNV-STU, Laboratoire Biologie, Eau & Environment (LBEE), Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma, Guelma, Algeria
ABSTRACT
The study of the reproductive biology of House Martins Delichon urbica was carried out in the
cities of Guelma and Hammam Debagh, Northeast Algeria during two years 2013 and 2014.
Birds of this species produce two broods per year and per breeding pair. At both study sites,
the egg-laying period lasted for almost four months. Egg weight and volume diered between
broods and years. The mean clutch size was 3.87±1.29, 4.19±1.02 in Guelma and 3.93±1.13,
3.64 ± 1.30 in Hammam in 2013 and 2014, respectively, with a seasonal decline. Hatching
success reached 69 and 74.25% in Guelma, and 74.20 and 63.39% in Hammam in 2013 and
2014, respectively. Fledging success was 64.57 and 72.62% in Guelma, whereas, in Hammam
it was 72.22 and 58.16% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Hatching failure was the main cause of
mortality. The breeding parameters and morphometrics of the House Martin’s eggs in Algeria
determined during our study diered from those reported in previous studies carried out in
dierent parts of Europe.
© 2016 Nature Research Centre
KEYWORDS
House Martins; Delichon
urbica; breeding biology;
clutch size; laying date;
Northeast Algeria
ARTICLE HISTORY
Received 5 October 2015
Accepted 29 January 2016
CONTACT Moussa Houhamdi houhamdimoussa@yahoo.fr
Introduction
Some species of birds raise only one brood per breed-
ing season while others more than one brood (Evans-
Ogden and Stutchbury 1996; Verhulst, Tinbergen, and
Daan 1997). The number of broods is limited by envi-
ronmental conditions, which in their own turn are often
predetermined by the abundance and availability of food
during the breeding season (Morrison 1998).
The House Martin Delichon urbica (Linnaeus 1758) is
among the most common migratory aerial insectivores in
Europe, Africa and Asia (Hagemeijer and Blair 1997; Fulya
and Nuri 2007). According to the preliminary estimate, its
global population size reaches 60,600,000–288,000,000
individuals (BirdLife International 2012). Its main prey
are Diptera, Hemiptera, and Hymenoptera (Turner and
Rose 1989).
House Martins have been well studied in Europe and
Asia. As a model species, it has been used to study the
eects of parasitism (Moller 1990; De Lope, Møller, and de
la Cruz 1998; Merino et al. 1998; Van Rooyen et al. 2014),
immunocompetence (Christe, Møller, and De Lope 1998,
2000, 2001, 2002; Marzal et al. 2007), and breeding biol-
ogy (Pajuelo, De Lope, and Da Silva 1992; Górska 2001;
Mazgajski 2007; Piersma 2008, 2013). The widespread dis-
tribution of the species makes it a good model for the study
of the geographic pattern in breeding success. Ecological
characteristics and biological parameters of the House
Martin have been studied in Britain (Bryant 1975, 1978a,
1978b), the central part and North-East of Europe (Lind
1960; Lyuleeva 1974; Rheinwald 1979; Pikula and Beklova
1987), but only scarce information is available on its breed-
ing biology in North Africa (Seriot and Alves 2002).
In Algeria, three studies on the diet and only one
study on the breeding biology of the House martin were
carried out (Lahlah et al. 2006; Boukhemza-Zemmouri
et al. 2013; Merzouki et al. 2014; Rouaiguia et al. 2015).
Further research is needed to fully explore the southern
part of its distribution.
Materials and methods
The eldwork was conducted during two subse-
quent years (2013 and 2014) at two sites: Guelma City
(36°28′24.88″N; 7°25′01.61″E) and Hammam Debagh
province (36°27′43.96″N; 7°16′03.14″E), Northeast
Algeria (Figure 1). Both reproductive sites were close to
rivers; the site in Guelma City was close to the Seybouse
River while that in Hammam Debagh was close to the
Bouhamdane River. Nests were built on the periphery
of the urban area in balconies under the eaves of the
school building.
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2 B. HAMLAOUI ET AL.
Data analysis
Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS 20.0
software. Residuals were checked for normality, and
non-parametric tests were applied when residuals were
not normally distributed. Mann–Whitney U tests were
used to test if there was a signicant dierence in egg
weight, egg volume, height of nests, clutch size, dura-
tion of incubation, number of hatchlings and number of
edglings between broods, years and sites. Variation in
the duration of incubation between clutches of dierent
size was examined using non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis
tests.
The two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used
to test if there was a signicant dierence in the phenol-
ogy of egg laying among broods and years and between
sites.
To test if the egg laying date had an eect on hatching
success, Spearman’s rank correlation was used to detect
the relationship between the laying date and the num-
ber of hatchlings. Spearman’s rank correlation was also
conducted to test the relationship between the nest
height and the clutch size in both years pooled.
Simple linear regression was used to reveal a relation-
ship between the clutch size and the laying date in each
year in 2013 and 2014 in Guelma and Hammam, respec-
tively, in order to determine whether the clutch size
increased or decreased over the reproductive season (for
All nests were recorded and labelled with a unique
code. Weekly visits were conducted from March to
August to determine the start of egg laying. All eggs
were individually marked with permanent markers,
after which the laying date was estimated in each nest.
Afterwards, the clutch size, hatching success and edg-
ing success were calculated. In order to estimate vertical
stratication, the height of the nest above the oor was
measured with a 10dam.
A Pesola spring balance was used to weigh
eggs with an accuracy of 0.1g. Egg length (L), and
breadth (B) were measured to the nearest 0.01mm
using digital calipers. Hoyt’s formula was used to
calculate egg volume (cm3) (V = 0.000509 L × B2)
(Hoyt 1979). Incubation duration was calculated as
the time elapsed from the beginning of incubation
to the hatching date.
Hatching and edging success were expressed as a
proportion of the eggs hatched and edged to the total
number of the eggs laid. Every egg that failed to hatch
was noted (Lahlah 2010; Hafner 1977 et Franchimont
1985 in Si Bachir et al. 2008).
After hatching, nests were every day care-
fully checked. Chicks were individually marked
with indelible markers on their legs. Chicks were
weighed 11 times in their nestling lifespan with an
electronic balance to the nearest 0.1g to estimate
their growth.
Figure 1.Geographic location of the study area (region of Guelma).
Source: MapInfo Professional 8.0 and scanned
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ZOOLOGY AND ECOLOGY 3
the two broods pooled), and to model nestling growth.
Mean values are given ±1 standard deviation (SD).
Results
Egg and nest characteristics
A total of 592 eggs were examined from 40 to 55 nests
in 2013, and 24 and 23 nests in 2014 in Guelma and
Hammam, respectively. Egg characteristics are summa-
rised in Table 1.
In Guelma, the mean egg length and breadth in
2013 and 2014 were similar (Length: 18.56±0.76mm,
18.60 ± 0.84 mm) (U = 988, p = 0.51), (Breadth:
12.92 ± 0.37 mm, 12.95 ± 0.43 mm) (U = 1029.5,
p = 0.74), respectively. In Hammam, the mean egg
length in 2013 was lower than in 2014 (18.35±0.91mm,
18.72±1.04mm) (U=220, p=0.23), and the mean egg
breadth was similar (12.93±0.35mm, 12.88±0.37mm)
(U=246, p=0.52), respectively.
There was no signicant dierence recorded in
egg weight and volume between broods and years in
Guelma (Weight: broods U = 716.50, p = 0.50; years.
U=1006, p=0.61), (Volume: broods. U=236, p=0.78;
years. U=261, p=0.74), and Hammam (Weight: broods.
U=758.50, p=0.76; years. U=1011, p=0.63), (Volume:
broods. U=240, p=0.85; years. U=254, p=0.64). Egg
weight and volume were similar for both years pooled
at Hammam and Guelma sites (U = 1984, p = 0.25)
(U=2062, p=0.52), respectively.
Vertical distribution of nests
A total of 195 and 106 nests were used to analyse the verti-
cal distribution of nests in Guelma and Hammam, respec-
tively. In general, nests were built at the mean height of
7.60±0m and 6.82±1.58m (range 3.6–7.6m) in Guelma,
which was lower than that in Hammam (7.95±2.50m,
9.30± 3.89m) (range 3.6–15.20m) in both years 2013
and 2014, respectively. No signicant dierence in the
height of nests between broods was detected in Guelma
(U=2983.50, p=0.70), but a dierence was detected
Table 1.Egg and nest characteristics of the House Martin in Guelma and Hammam, Algeria in 2013 and 2014.
Guelma Tech School Hammam School
2013 2014 2013 2014
Brood 1 (Mean ± SD) N = 110 egg N = 223 egg N = 64 egg N = 75 egg
Egg length (mm) 18.63 ± 0.71 18.58 ± 0.86 18.32 ± 0.84 18.88 ± 1.12
Egg breadth (mm) 12.98 ± 0.38 12.90 ± 0.42 12.95 ± 0.36 12.81 ± 0.38
Egg volume (cm3)1.6 ± 0.13 1.58 ± 0.14 1.57 ± 0.13 1.58 ± 0.15
Egg weight (g) 1.62 ± 0.15 1.60 ± 0.17 1.60 ± 0.17 1.57 ± 0.16
Nest height (m) 7.6 (n = 76) 6.95 ± 1.48 (n = 80) 8.17 ± 2.52 (n = 46) 8.96 ± 3.67 (n = 33)
Clutch size 4.32 ± 1.13 4.30 ± 0.99 4.34 ± 0.94 3.90 ± 1.23
Brood 2 (Mean ± SD) N = 51 egg N = 19 egg N = 31 egg N = 19 egg
Egg length (mm) 18.47 ± 0.85 18.96 ± 0.66 18.40 ± 1.04 18.25 ± 0.65
Egg breadth (mm) 12.84 ± 0.35 13.28 ± 0.17 12.89 ± 0.35 13.08 ± 0.27
Egg volume (cm) 1.55 ± 0.11 1.70 ± 0.07 1.56 ± 0.13 1.59 ± 0.08
Egg weight (g) 1.59 ± 0.12 1.72 ± 0.08 1.58 ± 0.13 1.58 ± 0.09
Nest height (m) 7.6 (n = 31) 5.60 ± 2.13 (n = 8) 7.38 ± 2.42 (n = 18) 10.5 ± 4.6 (n = 9)
Clutch size 2.77 ± 0.95 3.12 ± 0.64 2.88 ± 0.90 2.66 ± 1.11
between years (U= 3798.50, p < 0.0001) (Table 1). In
Hammam, the height of nests between broods and years
was similar (U=1029.50, p=0.77; U=1108.50, p=0.10),
respectively, and it diered between sites in both years
pooled (U=7955, p<0.0001) (Table 1). The vertical dis-
tribution of nests for both years pooled in Guelma and
Hammam showed that the majority of occupied nests
(91.20%, 48.11%) were at the height of 7.6m, respec-
tively. Over the two years of the study pooled, there was
no correlation found between the height of nests and the
hatchling number in Guelma and Hammam, respectively
(r=−0.45, N=195, p=0.53; r=−0.04, N=106, p=0.67),
and the edgling number (r=−0.51, N=195, p=0.47;
r=−0.03, N=106, p=0.69).
Clutch size and incubation
The mean clutch size of each brood, year and site is pre-
sented in Table 1. Moreover, it was greater in the rst
broods for both years pooled in Guelma and Hammam
(U=916.5, p<0.0001) (U=732, p<0.0001), respectively.
The clutch size in Guelma and Hammam diered between
broods (U= 916.50, p <0.0001; U =372, p<0.0001),
but not between years (U=4090.50, p=10; U=1200,
p=0.33), respectively, and not between sites when both
years were pooled (U=9372, p=0.21). The clutch size
was not related to the nest height in both years pooled
in Guelma and Hammam (r= 0.006, N= 195, p= 0.93;
r=−0.01, N=106, p=0.89), respectively. The clutch size
showed a significant seasonal decline between broods in
Guelma (R2=0.35, n=106, p<0.0001; R2=0.20, n=87,
p < 0.0001) (Figure 2(a)), and in Hammam (R2= 0.01,
n=63, p<0.0001; R2=0.34, n=41, p<0.0001) (Figure
2(b)) in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Incubation lasted for 13.44±2.28days (09–22days,
n=176 clutches) in Guelma, and for 13.76±2.57days
(10–22days, n=67 clutches) in Hammam for both years
pooled.
In Guelma, there was no signicant dierence
observed in incubation duration between broods
(U =1604.50, p = 0.14), but it diered between years
(U=2650.50, p<0.0001), while in Hammam, it diered
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4 B. HAMLAOUI ET AL.
June 2 to June 30 and from June 7 to July 5 in 2013 and
2014, respectively. In Hammam, rst broods were begun
from April 15 and to June 11, and from 21 April 21 to June
30 in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and second broods
started from June 2 to July 4, and from June 10 to June
29 in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
The frequency of laying dates’ distribution between
the rst and second brood was dierent, but it did not
dier between years and sites, and the mean laying date
in the rst brood at both sites in 2013 was one week
earlier than that in 2014 (Table 2).
Breeding success
Over the two years of study, we surveyed 107 (415 eggs)
and 88 (369 eggs) nests in 2013 and 2014 in Guelma,
respectively, and 64 (252 eggs) and 42 (153 eggs) nests
in 2013 and 2014 in Hammam, respectively.
Numbers of hatchlings and edglings diered
between broods and years in Guelma, while in Hammam,
the number of edglings diered between broods and
years. However, the hatchling number, which was simi-
lar in dierent years, diered between broods, and did
not dier signicantly between sites (Table 3). The mean
number of hatchlings and edglings in the rst brood
was higher than in the second (Table 3). A similar pattern
of variation in hatching and edging success percentage
among all eggs in both years and sites was higher in the
rst brood than in the second (Table 3).
In both years, hatching success was 69 and 74.25%
in Guelma, and 74.20 and 63.39% in Hammam in 2013
and 2014, respectively. Fledging success was 64.57 and
72.62% in Guelma, whereas in Hammam it was 72.22 and
58.16% in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Hatching failure in the rst brood was lower than in
the second brood in both years in Guelma and Hammam,
while chicks’ mortality in the rst brood was higher than
in the second one at both sites in 2013, and vice versa
in 2014 (Table 3).
There was a clear negative correlation discovered
between the hatchling number (r =−0.416, N= 195,
p<0.0001) (r= −0.486, N= 106, p < 0.0001), and the
laying date in the breeding season over two years pooled
in Guelma and Hammam, respectively.
Nestling growth
The weight of eight chicks was surveyed from hatch-
ing to edging in Guelma. The mean mass of nestlings
at hatching was 1.36±0.25g (1.1–1.6g, n=6). Chicks’
weight increased linearly for the rst nine days with the
mean rate of 1.64± 0.04 g/d (mean ± SE) (p <0.001,
R²=0.88). On day 9, the mean weight was 16.45±0.01g
(mean±SD). Afterwards, the weight growth was slower
until edging (day 20), when the mean weight reached
19.5±0.04g (mean±SD).
between broods (U=187, p<0.0001), but not between
years (U=413, p=0.07), and not between sites for both
years pooled (U=5493.50, p=0.40). There was no signi-
cant dierence in incubation duration recorded between
clutches of dierent size in Guelma (Kruskal–Wallis test,
χ²=10.37, df=6, p=0.11), and Hammam (Kruskal–Wallis
test, χ²=4.46, df=4, p=0.34) for both years pooled.
Phenology
Egg laying occurred from April to July for both years in
Guelma and from April to July in 2013 and April to June
in 2014 in Hammam, with two broods in each year. In
Guelma, rst broods were initiated between April 15 and
June 9, and between April 18 and June 26 in 2013 and
2014, respectively, and second broods were started from
(a)
(b)
Figure 2.Seasonal decline of the clutch size of House Martins,
(a) in Guelma and (b) in Hammam in both years of study. Black
and open circles signify the clutch size in 2013 and 2014,
respectively. Broken and solid lines signify linear regression in
2013 and 2014, respectively.
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ZOOLOGY AND ECOLOGY 5
(Nilsson 1984), and rich in food resources. House
Martins place nests in balconies outside under the
eaves on the periphery of Guelma and Hammam,
and near rivers (the Seybouse and Bouhamdane
Rivers, respectively), and this choice of habitats
in the vicinity of water may be conditioned by the
availability of the resource important for the spe-
cies (food and mud) or by the attempt to minimise
energy costs invested in foraging and nest construc-
tion. In fact, Bernis (1988) has found that the suit-
able habitat for the Common Swift Apus apus is on
the periphery of cities, where the density of prey is
seven times higher than in the city center.
The range of vertical distribution and the mean
height of nests observed in Guelma and Hammam
is lower than the corresponding data reported in
literature (e.g. Martínez et al. 1996; Murgui 2002).
The mean height did not differ between broods at
both sites, and between years except in Guelma. This
might be explained by the phylopatric strategy of
the Hirundinidae for reusing old nests (Barclay 1988;
De Lope and Da Silva 1988; Shields et al. 1988; Zhou
et al. 2012). The majority of occupied nests, 91.20 and
48.11% in Guelma and Hammam respectively, were
at a height of 7.6m, which is lower than that of nests
in Poland (76.8%), which ranged from 7.6 to 16.5m
(Indykiewicz, Laskarzewska, and Nowacki 2001).
Discussion
Egg and nest characteristics
In Algeria, the House Martin nests in various types of
habitats in towns, which is in agreement with reports
from other parts of the Mediterranean and the Western
Palearctic area (Snow and Perrins 1998; Murgui 2002;
Lahlah et al. 2006; Sekour et al. 2013).
Many studies have shown that egg size is an important
life-history variable that inuences breeding investment,
survival, and reproductive success (Thomas 1983; Stokland
and Amundsen 1988; Rutkowska and Cichon 2005).
In our study, egg size was found to dier from that
reported in other studies. In the present study, eggs
were slightly larger than those in Annaba (northeast
Algeria) and in Western Mediterranean populations
(Makatsch 1974; Lahlah et al. 2006), and smaller than
in Central and Western European populations (Hund
and Prinzinger 1979; Cramp 1988), suggesting that it is
a clear geographical pattern. The House Martin in this
study shows no dierence in egg length, breadth, vol-
ume and weight between the broods in both years and
sites, and these results agree with those of numerous
other studies conducted in Europe (Bryant 1975; Hund
and Prinzinger 1979; Cramp 1988).
A proper nesting habitat for birds is the one
which is physically suitable (safe and inaccessible)
Table 2.Mean of the egg laying date (days) in the first and second broods of House Martins in 2013 and 2014 at both study sites. K–S
test: Two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.
Brood Guelma Hammam
2013 2014 K–S test 2013 2014 K–S test
First 5 May ± 11.72
(Nest = 76)
14 May ± 14.16
(Nest = 80)
Broods p < 0.0001 3 May ± 14.33
(Nest = 46)
13 May ± 16.47
(Nest = 33)
Broods p < 0.0001
Second 18 June ± 7.35
(Nest = 31)
17 June ± 8.63
(Nest = 8)
16 June ± 9.58
(Nest = 18)
15 June ± 7.04
(Nest = 9)
K–S test Years p = 0.07 Sites p = 0.47 Years p = 0.32
Table 3.Breeding parameters in the first and second broods of House Martins in 2013 and 2014 at both study sites, Algeria.
Guelma Hammam
2013 2014 Mann–Whitney U test 2013 2014 Mann–Whitney U test
Hatchlings Broods
First 3.23 ± 1.43 3.22 ± 1.24 Broods U = 1078, p < 0.0001 3.43 ± 1.45 2.69 ± 1.72 Broods U = 448,
p < 0.0001
Second 1.35 ± 1.25 2 ± 1.77 1.61 ± 1.46 0.88 ± 1.66
Mann–Whitney U test Years U = 3931, p = 0.04 Years U = 1077, p = 0.07
Sites U = 9893, p = 0.53
Fledglings First 3.14 ± 1.47 3.15 ± 1.23 Broods U = 988, p < 0.0001 3.43 ± 1.45 2.45 ± 1.71 Broods U = 423,
p < 0.0001
Second 0.96 ± 1.15 2 ± 1.77 1.33 ± 1.32 0.88 ± 1.66
Mann–Whitney U test Years U = 3776, p = 0.01 Years U = 1024, p = 0.03
Sites U = 9836, p = 0.48
Hatching success First 74.77% 75% 79% 68.99%
Second 48.83% 64% 55.76% 33.33%
Failed hatching First 25.22% 25% 21% 31%
Second 51.16% 36% 44.23% 66.66%
Fledging success First 72.64% 73.25% 79% 62.79%
Second 33.72% 64% 46.15% 33.33%
Chick mortality First 2.12% 1.74% 0% 6.20%
Second 17.44% 0% 9.61% 0%
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6 B. HAMLAOUI ET AL.
factors that possibly aect the egg-laying date is food
availability, which is largely predetermined by the tem-
perature as it conditions the appearance and activity
of insects (Perrins 1970; Elkins 1988). In Algeria, like in
Europe, House Martins have two broods per year (Hund
and Prinzinger 1979; Cramp 1988; Pajuelo, De Lope,
and Da Silva 1992; Górska 2001), and the harsh drought
period during the summer prevents the North African
populations of House Martins from producing more than
two broods per year, which is typical of other species of
Hirundinidae Hirundo rustica (Sakraoui et al. 2005).
Breeding success
In the course of the reproductive season, the num-
ber of hatchlings and fledglings declined. This trend
has been reported in many studies on House Martins
(Lahlah et al. 2006; Zhou et al. 2012), and on other
hirundine species such as the Barn swallow (Sakraoui
et al. 2005). In both years, the proportions of hatching
and fledging success in Guelma were slightly higher
than those in Hammam. The hatching and fledging
success in both years and at both sites were similar to
those in Annaba (Lahlah et al. 2006), but lower than
those reported from Central and South of Europe
(Balat 1974; Hund 1976; Pajuelo, De Lope, and Da
Silva 1992; De Lope et al. 1993), and England (Bryant
1975). The high geographic variation in hatching and
fledging success could be explained by differences in
food availability, as recorded in the Asian house martin
Delichon dasypus (Zhou et al. 2012) and the Barn swal
-
low (Sakraoui et al. 2005). The main cause of mortality
revealed in this study, similarly to that reported from
England (Bryant 1975) and North Africa (Lahlah et al.
2006), was hatching failure.
This study provides data on the breeding biology of
the House Martin in Algeria, which is considered to be
the southern edge of the species breeding range. It is
necessary to work out the local conservation plan for the
species. Considering the size of the populations studied,
future local and regional population estimations should
also include Guelma and Hammam Debagh as potential
Algerian breeding areas.
Disclosure statement
No potential conict of interest was reported by the authors.
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