What they like

Mud, open air and houses with an overhang. He sticks his nest preferably under eaves, in a row with the neighbours. He feeds on the wing: mosquitoes, flies, aphids, small beetles. The more insects in the air, the better.

Ecological importance

A flying insect vacuum. Good for people and the landscape: fewer stings, more balance. And he's picky: if house martins do well, there's still life in the air.

When in the Netherlands

Usually from April through September. Then off to Africa.

Status

Breeding bird. Declined nationwide.

Make it easy for them: leave a mud spot (a shallow puddle on bare ground will do). Hang an artificial house-martin nest under the eaves, high and out of the rain. No suitable spot? A small shelf underneath reduces poop stress and often still results in breeding success.

In gardens, parks and farmyards: leave herbs and flowers standing longer, mow in stages, choose native species such as nettle, willow, hawthorn and elder. In agricultural areas: let ditch banks and verges flower, keep them less tidy, more rough-edge. That's exactly where insects take off.