Status
The total population size of the African River Martin is unknown. In the late 1980s, it appeared to be common, if local, and large numbers were seen on migration in Gabon. However, it is particularly poorly studied in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and it is not known if there is any relationship between the birds breeding in the DRC and those breeding in coastal areas of Gabon and Congo. Several hundred birds were seen at Conkouati-Douli National Park in Congo in 1996 and a flock of 15,000 birds was seen in Gabon in 1997. Investigations in Gabon in September 2003 extended the known range of this martin. More than 300 birds were found with hundreds of Rosy Bee-eaters in the Omboué area and the newly established Iguéla National Park, and a mixed flock with Rosy Bee-eaters at Loango National Park in Gabon was estimated at 100,000 birds in total. In January 2010, 250 martins were seen at a new location in Bakoumba, and single birds were observed in hirundine flocks near Moanda, at Mounana, and at Lekoni. Despite sightings of large flocks and a population which may exceed 100,000, the species is classed by the IUCN as Data Deficient due to the lack of detailed information on its range and numbers.
This species is protected under national laws in the DRC (Loi portant réglémentation de la chasses, 1985). and Gabon (Loi d'orientation en matière des eaux et forêts, 1982 and Loi relative à la protection et à l'amélioration de l'environnement, 1993), and by regional legislation in Nigeria, which does not have national wildlife laws. The Nigerian laws are based directly on older colonial era laws which includes a number of species, such as this martin, which are not native to the country. The African River Martin is not a protected species in the Republic of Congo.
In the 1950s, this martin was caught and eaten in large quantities in the DRC by the local population, and this practice could be increasing. The African River Martins and the bee-eaters with which they share their colonies are dug out of the breeding burrows for food. Breeding colonies in river sandbars are liable to flooding, but thousands of birds were breeding on the grasslands east of Gamba as recently as 2005.
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