House martins Delichon urbica dasypurus were banded at Tsuru University in Yamanashi Prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, from May 2004 to August 2006. The total number of birds banded for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 were respectively 47,43 and 62. Maximum wing length, tail length, tarsus length, total culmen length and total head length were measured for adult males and females. Maximum wing length was significantly larger in males, but the other measurements showed no significant differences between the sexes. This suggests that external measurements may not be reliable for sexing this species. Field observations indicated that adults began molting their inner primaries and primary coverts in July, starting from the innermost and moving outwards one feather at a time. By early August the inner three primaries and primary coverts had molted. Observations also indicate that after fledging juveniles sleep outside, and do not return to their nests. The adults in breeding are thought to sleep in the nests, but at least one appeared to be sleeping outside. Also, juveniles helping to feed a second brood were observed in 2005 and 2006.

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We have conducted bird-banding research with 20 to 50 days annuary at Obitsu Estuary, Kisarazu City, Chiba (35°24'N, 140°55'E) from 1998 to 2003 (Table 1). We could get the notable records, such as first records of the Bonin Petrel Pterodroma hypoleuca and the Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii for Obitsu Estuary (Table 2) as well as 67 recovery records of nine species, including more than ten years longevity record of the Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus (Table 3).

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[in Japanese]

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