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53-636: The word "martlet" is derived from the bird known as the martin , with the addition of the diminutive suffix "-let"; thus martlet means "little martin". The origin of the name martin is obscure, though it may refer to the festival Martinmas , which occurs around the same time martins begin their migration from Europe to Africa. These mythical birds are shown properly in English heraldry with two or three short tufts of feathers in place of legs and feet. Swifts , formerly known as martlets, have such small legs that they were believed to have none at all, which provides

106-544: A visual pun or rebus . The expression derives from the latin cantare (to sing). French heralds used the term armes parlantes (English: "talking arms" ), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial allusions require research for elucidation because of changes in language and dialect that have occurred over the past millennium. Canting arms – some in the form of rebuses – are quite common in German civic heraldry. They have also been increasingly used in

159-417: A blue head and upperparts, white rump and pure white underparts, and is found in both open country and near human habitation. It is similar in appearance to the two other martin species of the genus Delichon , which are both endemic to eastern and southern Asia. It has two accepted subspecies . Both the scientific and colloquial name of the bird are related to its use of human-made structures. It builds

212-720: A broad front (i.e., European birds are not funnelled through the short sea crossings used by large soaring birds, but cross the Mediterranean and Sahara ). While migrating they feed in the air on insects, and they usually travel in daylight. Migration brings its own hazards; in 1974, several hundred thousand birds of this species were found dead or dying in the Swiss Alps and surrounding areas, caught by heavy snowfall and low temperatures. Adult survival on autumn migration depends mainly on temperature, with precipitation another major factor, but for juveniles low temperatures during

265-534: A closed cup nest from mud pellets under eaves or similar locations on buildings usually in colonies . It is hunted by the Eurasian hobby ( Falco subbuteo ), and like other birds is affected by internal parasites and external fleas and mites. Although its large range and population mean that it is not threatened globally. The western house martin was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Hirundo urbica , but

318-638: A contrasting white-rump, and whitish underparts. In the past, the western house martin was sometimes considered to be conspecific with the Asian house martin ( D. dasypus ), which breeds in the mountains of central and eastern Asia and winters in Southeast Asia , and it also closely resembles the Nepal house martin ( D. nipalense ), a resident in the mountains of southern Asia. Although the three Delichon martins are similar in appearance, only D. urbicum has

371-411: A likely explanation for the legend of the legless martlet. In French heraldry , the canette or anet is a small duck (French: canard ), shown without feet. According to Théodore Veyrin-Forrer la canette représente la canne ou le canard; si elle est dépourvue du bec et des pattes, elle devient une merlette . ("The canette represents the duck or drake; if she is deprived of beak and feet she becomes

424-627: A lion rampant or . The shield of the county of Sussex , England contains six martlets said to represent the six historical rapes , or former administrative sub-divisions, of the county. It seems likely this bore a canting connection to the title of the Earls of Arundel (the French word for swallow is hirondelle ), who were the leading county family for many centuries, or the name of their castle. The university of Sussex 's coat of arms also bear these six martlets. A bend between six martlets forms

477-453: A little female duck 'blunted'"). Une cane is a female duck (male canard , "drake") and une canette , the diminutive form, is "a little female duck". The verb morner in ancient French means "to blunt", in heraldic terminology the verbal adjective morné(e) means: sans langue, sans dents, sans ongles et des oiseaux sans bec ni serres ("without tongue, without teeth, without nails, and, of birds, without beak or claws"). English heraldry uses

530-468: A merlette"). In French un merle , from Latin merula (feminine), is a male blackbird , a member of the thrush family (formerly the term was feminine and could designate a male: une merle —a hen blackbird: une merlesse ). A merlette (diminutive form of merle : a little blackbird) in common parlance, since the 19th century, is a female blackbird, but in heraldic terminology is defined as une figure représentant une canette mornée ("a figure representing

583-542: A pure white rump and underparts. The western house martin was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Siberian house martin ( Delichon lagopodum ) that breeds eastwards of the Yenisei to Kolyma and south to northern Mongolia and northern China; it winters in southern China and Southeast Asia . The two species were split based on morphological and vocal differences. Other races, like meridionalis from around

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636-466: Is a neat closed convex cup fixed below a suitable ledge, with a narrow opening at the top. It is constructed by both sexes with mud pellets collected in their beaks, and lined with grasses, hair or other soft materials. The mud, added in successive layers, is collected from ponds, streams or puddles. House sparrows frequently attempt to take over the nest during construction, with the house martins rebuilding elsewhere if they are successful. The entrance at

689-401: Is delicate." ( Macbeth , Act I, scene VI). There are old legends, with no basis in fact, that house martins would wall-up house sparrows by closing the entrance of the mud nest with the intruder inside, or that they would gather en masse to kill a sparrow. The martlet , often believed to refer to the house martin, or possibly a swallow, was a heraldic bird with short tufts of feathers in

742-571: Is made to this in their proper cadence mark (an annulet and fleur-de-lys respectively). The inability of the martlet to land is said by some commentators to symbolize the constant quest for knowledge, learning, and adventure. Martlets appear in the arms of Worcester College , St Benet's Hall , and University College at Oxford University, of Magdalene College and Pembroke College at Cambridge, and of long-established English schools including Bromsgrove , Warwick , and Penistone Grammar . More recently they have been adopted by McGill University ,

795-481: Is not sufficiently separated genetically from Hirundo to be considered a separate genus. The western house martin is similar in habits to other aerial insectivores , including other swallows and martins and the unrelated swifts , and catches insects in flight. In the breeding areas, flies and aphids make up much of the diet, and in Europe, the house martin takes a larger proportion of aphids and small flies than

848-467: Is possible, but that species has a grey rump, off-white underparts and long, deeply forked tail. The western house martin flies with a wing beat averaging 5.3 beats per second, which is faster than the wing beat of 4.4 beats per second for the barn swallow, but the flight speed of 11 m/s (36 ft/s) is typical for hirundines. The western house martin is a noisy species, especially at its breeding colonies. The male's song, given throughout

901-473: The Mediterranean have been described, but the claimed differences from the nominate race are clinal , and therefore probably invalid. The adult western house martin is 13 cm (5 in) long, with a wingspan of 26–29 cm (10– 11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) and a weight averaging 18.3 g ( 21 ⁄ 32  oz). It is steel-blue above with a white rump, and white underparts, including

954-588: The University of Houston , the Charles Wright Academy , Mill Hill School (London), Westminster Under School (London) Westminster School (Connecticut) , Saltus Grammar School (Bermuda), McGills House of Aldenham School and the University of Victoria (British Columbia) — where the student newspaper is likewise named The Martlet . A talking martlet is employed as a story-device in E.R. Eddison's fantasy novel The Worm Ouroboros . At

1007-484: The canting arms of the ancient family of de Arundel of Lanherne , Cornwall and later of Wardour Castle . The arms borne by Reinfred de Arundel (d.c.1280), lord of the manor of Lanherne, were recorded in the 15th-century Shirley Roll of Arms as: Sable, six martlets argent . This family should not be confused with that of FitzAlan Earls of Arundel , whose seat was Arundel Castle in Sussex , who bear for arms: Gules,

1060-459: The common house martin , northern house martin or, particularly in Europe, just house martin , is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and across the Palearctic ; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia . It feeds on insects which are caught in flight, and it migrates to climates where flying insects are plentiful. It has

1113-603: The 20th century among the British royal family. When the visual representation is expressed through a rebus , this is sometimes called a rebus coat of arms . An in-joke among the Society for Creative Anachronism heralds is the pun , "Heralds don't pun; they cant." A famous example of canting arms are those of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 's paternal family, the Bowes-Lyon family . The arms (pictured below) contain

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1166-480: The African wintering grounds is a major factor in adult survival, although wet weather in the breeding areas has very little effect. Although individuals aged 10 and 14 years have been recorded, most survive less than five years. For weeks after leaving the nest the young congregate in ever-increasing flocks which, as the season advances, may be seen gathering in trees or on housetops, or on the wires with swallows. By

1219-663: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES ) which regulates international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants. In Europe and Britain, however, population numbers indicate a declining trend, and leading conservation groups in Britain have updated the conservations status to amber indicating medium conservation concern there. This is a species which has greatly benefited historically from forest clearance creating

1272-426: The barn swallow. As with that species, hymenopterans , especially flying ants , are important food items in the wintering area. This species hunts at an average height of 21 m (69 ft) during the breeding season, but lower in wet conditions. The hunting grounds are typically within 450 m (1,480 ft) of the nest, with a preference for open ground or water, the latter especially in poor weather, but

1325-421: The breeding season are more critical. It is anticipated that since extreme weather is predicted to become more frequent with climate change , future survival rates will depend more on adverse weather conditions than at present. The western house martin returns to the breeding grounds a few days after the first barn swallows; and like that species, particularly when the weather is poor, it seldom goes straight to

1378-411: The coat of arms of Dundalk , Ireland . The bend and martlets are derived from the family of Thomas de Furnivall who obtained a large part of the land and property of Dundalk and district in about 1319 by marriage to Joan de Verdon daughter of Theobald de Verdon. Three of these martlets, in reversed tinctures , form the arms of the local association football team Dundalk FC . It has been suggested that

1431-458: The design on a coin minted during Edward's reign. King Richard II (1377–1399) impaled this coat with the Plantagenet arms , and it later became the basis of the arms of Westminster Abbey , in which The Confessor was buried, and of Westminster School , founded within its precinct. The French word for swallow is hirondelle , from Latin hirundo , and therefore martlets have appeared in

1484-528: The enamelled shield of the effigy of William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke (d.1296) in Westminster Abbey . Martlets are thus shown in the arms of Pembroke College, Cambridge , a foundation of that family. The attributed arms of Edward the Confessor contain five martlets or (golden martlets). The attribution dates to the 13th century (two centuries after Edward's death) and was based on

1537-788: The end of October, most martins have left their breeding areas in western and central Europe, though late birds in November and December are not uncommon, and further south migration finishes later anyway. Once established, pairs remain together to breed for life; however, extra-pair copulations are common, making this species genetically polygamous, despite being socially monogamous. A Scottish study showed that 15% of nestlings were not related to their putative fathers, and 32% of broods contained at least one extra-pair chick. Extra-pair males, usually from nests where laying had already taken place, were often seen to enter other nests. The paired male initially ensured that his female spent little time alone at

1590-520: The fork of its tail is intermediate in depth between that of D. u. urbicum and that of the Asian house martin. The white rump and underparts of the western house martin, very noticeable in flight, prevent confusion with other widespread Palaeoarctic swallows such as the barn swallow ( Hirundo rustica ), sand martin ( Riparia riparia ) or red-rumped swallow ( Cecropis daurica ). In Africa, confusion with grey-rumped swallow ( Pseudhirundo griseopyga )

1643-462: The game's events reflect the allegorical meaning of the creature. In Wong Kar-wai 's 1990 movie, Days of Being Wild , the character played by Leslie Cheung uses "the bird with no feet that flies forever and lands when it dies" as a narcissistic and romanticized analogy of his unrestrained, footloose life. Common house martin The western house martin ( Delichon urbicum ), sometimes called

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1696-416: The house martin has usually been tolerated by humans when it shares their buildings for nesting, although the accumulation of droppings below breeding birds can be a nuisance leading to some destruction of nests. This species lacks the wealth of literary references associated with its relative, the barn swallow, although it is possible that some of the older mentions for that bird might equally well refer to

1749-509: The house martin. William Shakespeare was clearly describing the house martin when Banquo brings the nests and birds to the attention of Duncan at Macbeth's castle, Inverness : "This guest of summer, The temple-haunting martlet, does approve By his loved mansionry that the heaven's breath Smells wooingly here. No jutty, frieze, Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird Hath made his pendant bed and procreant cradle; Where they most breed and haunt, I have observed The air

1802-406: The incubation, which normally lasts 14–16 days. The newly hatched chicks are altricial , and after a further 22–32 days, depending on weather, the chicks leave the nest. The fledged young stay with, and are fed by, the parents for about a week after leaving the nest. Occasionally, first-year birds from the first brood will assist in feeding the second brood. There are normally two broods each year,

1855-738: The martins will also follow the plough or large animals to catch disturbed insects. On the wintering grounds, hunting takes place at a greater height of over 50 m (160 ft). Although the western house martin is hunted by the hobby ( Falco subbuteo ), its aerial skills enable it to evade most predators. It is parasitised externally by fleas and mites , including the "house martin flea", Ceratophyllus hirundinis , and internally by endoparasites such as Haemoproteus prognei (avian malaria ), which are transmitted by blood-sucking insects including mosquitoes. A Polish study showed that nests typically contained more than 29 specimens of ectoparasite, with C. hirundinis and Oeciacus hirundinis

1908-500: The martlet in A Rule Against Murder , the fourth book in her Inspector Gamache series (see chapter 27). Gamache discusses the four adult Morrow children with their stepfather, Bert Finney, while overlooking Lake Massawippi at the fictional Manoir Bellechasse, the site of the murder. Gamache explains that the martlet signifies the fourth child, who must make his/her own way in the world. The fangame Undertale Yellow features an avian character named Martlet, whose strong moral code during

1961-511: The most abundant. The western house martin has a large range, with an estimated global extent of 30,800,000 km (11,900,000 sq mi). Its European population is estimated to be 22–47 million individuals. Global population trends have not been quantified, although there is evidence of population fluctuations. For these reasons, the species is evaluated as least concern on the IUCN Red List , and has no special status under

2014-555: The nest being reused for the second brood, and repaired and used again in subsequent years. Hatching success is 90%, and fledging survival 60–80%. Third broods are not uncommon, though late nestlings are often left to starve. The average annual mortality for adults nesting in the Western Palaearctic is 40–60%, with most deaths outside the breeding season. A study of British breeders gave an average adult survival rate of just under 40%, but ranging from 25% to 70%. Rainfall in

2067-399: The nest, and accompanied her on flights, but the mate-guarding slackened after egg laying began, so the youngest nestling was the most likely to have a different father. The western house martin has been regularly recorded as hybridising with the barn swallow, this being one of the most common passerine interspecific crosses. The frequency of this hybrid has led to suggestions that Delichon

2120-567: The nesting sites, but hunts for food over large fresh water bodies. There are records of migrant house martins staying to breed in Namibia and South Africa instead of returning north. As would be expected for a long-distance migrant, it has occurred as a vagrant eastwards to Alaska and west to Newfoundland , Bermuda and the Azores . The western house martin was originally a cliff and cave nester, and some cliff-nesting colonies still exist, with

2173-651: The nests built below an overhanging rock. It now largely uses human structures such as bridges and houses. Unlike the barn swallow, it uses the outside of inhabited buildings, rather than the inside of barns or stables. The nests are built at the junction of a vertical surface and an overhang, such as on house eaves, so that they may be strengthened by attachment to both planes. Breeding birds return to Europe between April and May, and nest building starts between late March in North Africa and mid-June in Lapland . The nest

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2226-788: The open habitats it prefers, and from human habitation which has given it an abundance of safe nest sites. However, populations can fluctuate locally for a number of reasons. New housing has created more nest sites, and clean-air legislation has enabled breeding in the centre of major cities like London. The population of house martins in Sheffield, central UK, has been estimated at 12,353 individuals. Conversely, poor weather, poisoning by agricultural pesticides, lack of mud for nest building and competition with house sparrows can reduce numbers. Widespread declines in western house martin numbers have been reported from central and northern Europe since 1970. As an attractive bird which feeds on flying insects,

2279-535: The outset of the novel the martlet conducts the reader to Mercury whereon the action proceeds. Thereafter it performs a linking role as a messenger of the Gods. It also appears in Shakespeare's Macbeth Act 1 Sc 6, when King Duncan and Banquo call it a 'guest of summer' and see it mistakenly as a good omen when they spot it outside Macbeth's castle, shortly before Duncan is killed. Louise Penny makes reference to

2332-501: The place of legs. It was the cadency mark of the fourth son of a noble family, and features in many coats of arms , including the Plantagenets . The lack of feet signified its inability to land, which explained its link to a younger son, also landless. It also represented swiftness. Canting arms Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in

2385-415: The reed-bed roosts favoured by migrating barn swallows. It uses similar open habitats on the wintering grounds, but the western house martin is less conspicuous than wintering barn swallows, tending to fly higher and be more nomadic. In the tropical parts of its wintering range, like East Africa , it appears to be mainly found in the higher areas. The western house martin is a migrant which moves on

2438-521: The restlessness of the martlet due to its supposed inability to land, having no usable feet, is the reason for the use of the martlet in English heraldry as the cadency mark of a fourth son. The first son inherited all the estate by primogeniture , the second and third traditionally went into the Church, to serve initially as priests in churches of which their father held the advowson , and the fourth had no well-defined place (unless his father possessed, as

2491-501: The terms "armed" and "langued" for the teeth, claws and tongue of heraldic beasts, thus mornée might be translated as "dis-armed". Thus the English "martlet" is not the same heraldic creature as the French "merlette" . The arms of the Valence family, Earls of Pembroke show one of the earliest uses of the martlet to difference them from their parent house of Lusignan . Their arms were orled (bordered) with martlets, as can be seen on

2544-538: The top of the cup is so small once it is complete that sparrows cannot take over the nest. The western house martin tends to breed colonially, and nests may be built in contact with each other. A colony size of less than 10 nests is typical, but there are records of colonies with thousands of nests. Four or five white eggs are usually laid, which average 1.9 cm × 1.33 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4  in ×  17 ⁄ 32  in) in size, and weigh 1.7 g ( 1 ⁄ 16  oz). The female does most of

2597-403: The underwings; even its short legs have white downy feathering. It has brown eyes and a small black bill, and its toes and exposed parts of the legs are pink. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile bird is sooty black, and some of its wing coverts and quills have white tips and edgings. D. u. lagopodum differs from the nominate race in that its white rump extends much further onto the tail, and

2650-493: The western house martin is open country with low vegetation, such as pasture, meadows and farmland, and preferably near water, although it is also found in mountains up to at least 2,200 m (7,200 ft) elevation. It is much more urban than the barn swallow, and will nest even in city centres if the air is clean enough. It is more likely to be found near trees than other Eurasian swallows, since they provide insect food and also roosting sites. This species does not normally use

2703-532: The year, is a soft twitter of melodious chirps. The contact call, also given on the wintering grounds, is a hard chirrrp , and the alarm is a shrill tseep . The western house martin breeds across temperate Eurosiberia east to central Mongolia and the Yenisei River , and in Morocco, Tunisia and northern Algeria, and migrates on a broad front to winter in sub-Saharan Africa. The preferred habitat of

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2756-416: Was often the case, more than two vacant advowsons). As the fourth son often therefore received no part of the family wealth and had "the younger son's portion: the privilege of leaving home to make a home for himself", the martlet may also be a symbol of hard work, perseverance, and a nomadic household. This explanation seems implausible, as the 5th and 6th sons were equally "restless", yet no apparent reference

2809-539: Was placed in its current genus, Delichon , by Thomas Horsfield and Frederic Moore in 1854. Delichon is an anagram of the ancient Greek term χελιδών ( chelīdōn ), meaning "swallow", and the species name urbicum ( urbica until 2004, due to a misunderstanding of Latin grammar) means "of the town" in Latin . The genus Delichon is a recent divergence from the barn swallow genus Hirundo , and its three members are similar in appearance with blue upperparts,

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