ABSTRACT. – We carried out an intensive sampling (point count method) on three common species of aerial forager birds (barn swallow Hirundo rustica, house martin Delichon urbicum, swift Apus apus) occurring in two remnant wetlands located along the Tyrrhenian coast (central Italy). Our aim was to define their seasonal patterns in abundance during the period when these long distance migrant species occur at central Mediterranean latitudes (February-October). Each species showed different peaks in abundance due to their different migratory dynamics and ecological traits. Barn swallow showed the highest mean abundance in summer in both studied wetlands. This species arrived in spring from wintering sites mainly as solitary individuals, while in late summer larger social groups were observed with a significantly higher frequency: these wetlands probably have a role in late summer as premigratory roosts. House martin showed asynchronous yearly patterns between the two wetlands. Swifts had the highest values in April and patterns appeared highly synchronous between areas. Swifts observed in April probably included both individuals nesting in the towns near the study area and vagrants, which nest elsewhere. For all species, differences in abundance and/or seasonal phenology between sites were probably due to differences in surrounding landscape habitats. Our data highlight the importance of wet zones (reedbeds and rushbeds) for the conservation of aerial insectivorous migrant birds, both transient individuals and local breeders. Moreover, these findings support the hypothesis that different wetlands, even though close-by, may have different ecological roles for different species, mainly depending on the type of landscape surrounding them.