European sand martins occupy temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oak, birch, and maple trees, flooded meadows with abundant grass, and taiga characterized by cold winters and numerous coniferous trees such as spruce and pine; the species lives on land and in terrestrial forests at altitudes up to 1.5 kilometers. The climate varies, including very hot summers above 25 to 30 degrees Celsius, consistently wet conditions with frequent rain and high humidity, and cool summers with abundant rainfall and snowfall in winter, as well as warm summers with plentiful rain, snow in winter, and winters with significant snowfall and cold temperatures.