The leg muscles of the river martins (Pseudochelidon) are stronger and more robust than those of other swallows.

River martins swarm massively.

The river martins form a distinctive subfamily Pseudochelidoninae within the swallow and martin bird family Hirundinidae.

Genetic studies confirmed that the two river martins form a distinct clade from the typical swallows in the Hirundininae subfamily.

The African River Martins and the bee-eaters with which they share their colonies are dug out of the breeding burrows for food.

Subfamily: Pseudochelidoninae (river martins)

It lies few km in south of the borough of Bangor and is crossed by the river Martins Creek.

The Phedina swallows are placed within the Hirundininae subfamily, which comprises all swallows and martins except the very distinctive river martins.

This family comprises two subfamilies: Pseudochelidoninae (the river martins of the genus Pseudochelidon) and Hirundininae (all other swallows and martins).

The two river martins have long been recognised as very distinctive, and are placed in a separate subfamily, Pseudochelidoninae, leaving all other swallows and martins in the Hirundininae.

The river martins are in some ways intermediate between typical swallows and other passerines: they have stout bills, large feet and relatively strong legs, which is unusual in aerial feeders.

The two river martins are in some ways intermediate between typical swallows and other passerines, and the arrangement of their leg muscles is more like that of a typical passerine than of a swallow.

Within the family there is a clear division between the two subfamilies, the Pseudochelidoninae which is composed of the two species of river martins, and the Hirundininae, into which the remaining 81 species are placed.

The river martins form a distinctive subfamily Pseudochelidoninae within the swallow and martin bird family Hirundinidae.

These two species were the only members of the subfamily Pseudochelidoninae, and their widely disjunct populations suggest they are relict populations of a more common and widespread ancestor.

The two river martins have long been recognised as very distinctive, and are placed in a separate subfamily, Pseudochelidoninae, leaving all other swallows and martins in the Hirundininae.

A 1938 study of this martin's anatomy by Percy Lowe revealed that the species was closest to the swallows and martins, but sufficiently distinct to be placed in a separate subfamily, Pseudochelidoninae.

Within the family there is a clear division between the two subfamilies, the Pseudochelidoninae which is composed of the two species of river martins, and the Hirundininae, into which the remaining 81 species are placed.

Within the swallow family, the White-eyed River Martin is one of only two members of the river martin subfamily Pseudochelidoninae, the other being the African River Martin Pseudochelidon eurystomina of the Congo basin in Africa.