Crag Martin - Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Pictures - John Foss

Crag Martins are related to swallows, but they breed high up in mountainous terrain. They are aggressive and will defend their nesting territory from any invaders. The specimens on this page were photographed outside the railway station at Vila Real do Santa Antonio and, despite their tendency to nest in high craggy cliff tops and mountains, they have often been known to nest on buildings and manmade structures, especially bridges. Spectacular in the flight, they are fast strong and agile.

Crag Martin

Back to birds...


Sue Parker's latest ebook is a revised and enlarged second edition of the acclaimed Wildflowers in the Algarve - an introductory guide. Full details here...

Buy it for just £3.95 on Amazon...

Sue Parker's 5-star acclaimed field guide to the Wild Orchids of the Algarve is now available as an ebook. Full details here...

Buy it for just £5.95 on Amazon...


Please Help Us: If you have found this information interesting and useful, please consider helping to keep First Nature online by making a small donation towards the web hosting and internet costs.

Any donations over and above the essential running costs will help support the conservation work of Plantlife, the Rivers Trust and charitable botanic gardens - as do author royalties and publisher proceeds from books by Pat and Sue.