Congo martin
Riparia congica (Reichenow, 1888)
The congo martin (Riparia congica) is a species in the family Hirundinidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 16.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the congo martin
- Weight
- 16.5 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the congo martin live?
Not recorded
What is the congo martin?
The Congo martin or Congo sand martin (Riparia congica) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.
It occurs only along the Congo River and its tributary, the Ubangi. It is fairly abundant within its restricted range.
The habitat requirement of this non-migratory species is forested rivers with sandbanks for breeding.
The Congo martin nests in colonies during February and March, with each pair excavating a tunnel in a sandbank about 1 m above the river. The nest itself is at the end of the tunnel. Little is known of the breeding biology, although it is probably similar to that of the sand martin.
From the Wikipedia article “Congo martin” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Congo_martin&oldid=1380595125), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the congo martin endangered?
The congo martin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the congo martin classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyHirundinidae
- genusRiparia
- SpeciesRiparia congica (Reichenow, 1888)
Synonyms Cotile congica
Other names and names in other languages (36)
- COMAEnglish
- Congo sand martinEnglish
- Congo sand martinEnglish
- Congo sand-martinEnglish
- خطاف الرمال الكنغوليArabic
- Конгоанска лястовицаBulgarian
- oreneta de ribera del CongoCatalan
- břehule konžskáCzech
- gwennol glennydd CongoWelsh
- Congo DigesvaleDanish
- KongouferschwalbeGerman
- Kongo-UferschwalbeGerman
- konga hirundoEsperanto
- Avión del CongoSpanish
- kongo kaldapääsukeEstonian
- kongontörmäpääskyFinnish
- Hirondelle du CongoFrench
- Hirondelle de rivage du CongoFrench
- כוכית קונגוHebrew
- Topino del CongoItalian
- コンゴショウドウツバメJapanese
- konginė urvinė kregždėLithuanian
- Congo-oeverzwaluwDutch
- kongosandsvaleNorwegian
- brzegówka malutkaPolish
- andorinha-congolesaPortuguese
- andorinha-das-barreiras-do-congoPortuguese
- Песчаная береговушкаRussian
- Песчаная береговая ласточкаRussian
- brehuľa konžskáSlovak
- Kongoanska bregunicaSerbian
- kongobacksvalaSwedish
- Kongo KırlangıcıTurkish
- ластівка заїрськаUkrainian
- 刚果沙燕Chinese
- 剛果沙燕Chinese
Relatives of the congo martin
Other species in the same genus Riparia.
Sand martin
Riparia riparia
Brown-throated martin
Riparia paludicola
Pale martin
Riparia diluta
Grey-throated martin
Riparia chinensis
Madagascar martin
Riparia cowani
CompareCongo martin vs Sand martinCongo martin vs Brown-throated martinCongo martin vs Pale martinCongo martin vs Grey-throated martin
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the congo martin?
An adult congo martin weighs 16.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the congo martin endangered?
The congo martin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the congo martin?
The congo martin (Riparia congica) belongs to the family Hirundinidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Congo martin (Riparia congica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/congo-martin
“Congo martin (Riparia congica).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/congo-martin.
@misc{congo_martin_2026,
title = {Congo martin (Riparia congica)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/congo-martin},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}