Chilean Swallow
Tachycineta leucopyga
Common and familiar swallow of southern South America; found widely from the coast to Andean foothills and from open forests to beaches. Often near water and regularly around towns and villages, associating readily with slightly smaller Blue-and-white Swallow. Identified easily in most of range by clean white underparts and big white rump patch; also note that the tail is less deeply forked than Blue-and-White Swallow. Juvenile is duller above and with a variable dusky breast band.
Identification
The Chilean swallow is about 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length and weighs 15–20 grams (0.53–0.71 oz). It is glossy blue-black above and white below with a white rump. Its wings and tail are black, with white tips on its inner secondaries and its tertials. Their underwing coverts and auxiliaries are both grey. The Chilean swallow's bill and legs are black. The sexes are alike, and the juveniles are duller and browner.<p>It is similar to the white-rumped swallow, but lacks the white forehead of that species and has bluer upperparts and grey underwing-coverts. In addition to this, the breeding ranges of the two have almost no overlap.
Taxonomy
The new genus Tachycineta was created for this group of swallows by German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1850. The current genus name Tachycineta, is from Ancient Greek takhukinetos, "moving quickly", and the specific meyeni commemorates Prussian botanist and collector Franz Meyen. Some consider the species name to be leucopyga, which is what the species name originally was. This species, along with the white-rumped swallow, T. leucorrhoa, form a superspecies. This species is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Tachycineta leucopyga
- Authority
- (Meyen, 1834)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Tachycineta
Range and habitat
This swallow is native to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is vagrant to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. This swallow can also be found in Peru, but its origin is uncertain. Its breeding range is from the Atacama Desert in Chile and most of Argentina to the southern tip of South America. It is a year-round resident to the northern part of its range, but it is known to be migratory in the southern part. It is not well known where this population winters, but it seems to winter in northern Argentina, southern Brazil, Uruguay, and possibly Bolivia.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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