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1 December 2006 Breeding Biology of the House Martin Delichon urbica in Algeria
Nawel Lahlah, Yassine Chabi, Mirosława Bańbura, Jerzy Bańbura
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Dates of egg laying, clutch size, the numbers of hatchlings and fledglings, and egg dimensions were studied in Annaba, Algeria in 2004–2005. The onset of laying is related to the end of the wet period and shows some inter-year variation. 38–45% of breeding pairs produce two broods per year. Mean clutch size declines with the progress of the breeding season. Mean values vary between the first (4.7 eggs) and second clutch (3.5 eggs) but not between years. Hatching and fledging success is relatively low in comparison with other Western Palearctic populations, probably because of environmental constraints operating at the southern edge of the House Martin breeding area. The relatively small size of Algerian House Martin eggs fits the general geographic pattern of variation.

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Nawel Lahlah, Yassine Chabi, Mirosława Bańbura, and Jerzy Bańbura "Breeding Biology of the House Martin Delichon urbica in Algeria," Acta Ornithologica 41(2), 113-120, (1 December 2006). https://doi.org/10.3161/068.041.0207
Received: 1 September 2006; Accepted: 1 November 2006; Published: 1 December 2006
KEYWORDS
clutch size
Delichon urbica
geographic range
House Martin
NORTH AFRICA
reproduction
timing
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