Phedina

Phedina is a small genus of passerine birds in the swallow family. It has two members, the Mascarene Martin, Phedina borbonica, which has two subspecies in Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands respectively, and Brazza's Martin, P. brazzae, which breeds in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of the Congo, and northern Angola. The nearest relative of the Phedina martins is the Banded Martin, Riparia cincta, which resembles Brazza's Martin in nesting habits and vocalisations. Both Phedina martins have grey-brown upperparts and paler, heavily streaked underparts. Adult Mascarene Martins are 15 cm (6 in) in length, and Brazza's Martin is smaller at 12 cm (4.25 in) long. Both species have brown wings, dark brown eyes and a black bill and legs. Juvenile birds have more diffuse breast streaking and pale edges to the feathers of the back and wings than the adults. Both species can be distinguished from most other swallows in their breeding or wintering ranges by the streaking on the underparts and lack of a deeply forked tail. The Mascarene Martin has a warbled siri-liri siri-liri song given in flight, but Brazza's Martin has quite different vocalisations, its song consisting of a series of short notes followed by a complex buzz and sometimes some final clicks.

Both species typically breed in small groups: the Mascarene Martin builds a shallow cup nest of twigs and coarse plant material with a soft inner lining, whereas Brazza's Martin makes a small heap of soft material such as feathers or dry grass at the end of a typically 50-cm (20-in) tunnel in a riverbank. The normal clutch is three eggs for Brazza's Martin, two for Mascarene Martins on Madagascar and Mauritius, and two or three for those on Réunion. As with other swallows, both martins feed on flying insects, hunting in single-species groups or with other swallows and swifts.

Brazza's Martin may be hunted by humans, and both species may be infected with a variety of parasites. These swallows may be affected by poor weather when breeding, but neither appears to be under serious threat. The small islands which are the home of the Mascarene Martin subspecies P. b. borbonica may be devastated by cyclones, which have the potential to cause severe temporary losses to the populations on Mauritius and Réunion. The legal protection afforded to the Phedina martins varies with jurisdiction, and ranges from none for Mascarene Martins on Réunion to special protection for the same species on Madagascar. The Brazza's Martin is not a protected species anywhere in its range.