Rufous-chested Swallow
Cecropis semirufa
This large swallow has a brick-red rump and underparts and dark blue upperparts. It is told from other swallows by the metallic-blue patches on the side of the head that cover the ears and eyes. It is resident near the equator and is a wet season breeding visitor in the north and south of its range. The Rufous-chested Swallow flies strongly, with frequent swoops and changes of course, over sparse woodland, grassland, wetland edges, and other open habitats. In flight it differs from similar swallows by the color of the forward part of the underwing: buffy in Rufous-chested Swallow and white in Mosque Swallow, which also has a pale throat.
Identification
The red-breasted swallow is similar to the mosque swallow but is slightly smaller and has longer tail streamers, both species having a blue crown and mantle contrasting with a rufous rump and underparts, In the red-breasted swallow the dark crown extends below the eye and there is no white on the underwing. The juvenile is similar to the red-rumped swallow but has blue on the side of the head rather than dull red.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cecropis semirufa
- Authority
- (Sundevall, 1850)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Cecropis
Range and habitat
The red-breasted swallow is a bird of dry open country. In more wooded areas it is replaced by the similar mosque swallow. It builds a closed mud nest with a tubular entrance in a cavity or under bridges and similar structures. It will use deserted buildings, tree holes or caves, and has benefited from the construction of railway bridges and similar structures. The red-breasted swallow is found over most of Africa south of the Sahara from the Eastern Cape north to northern Namibia and southern Angola in the west and Mozambique in the east, with a disjunct range from Senegal south to northern Angola east to Uganda, southwestern Kenya and northwestern Tanzania.<p>The red-breasted swallow is migratory in most of its range. In southern Africa it is a summer visitor, nesting between July and March with most of the population migrating to equatorial Africa, although a few remain all year. In some parts of its range, e.g. in southeastern Nigeria to Gabon, it appears to be resident, but it is mostly a rainy season breeding visitor across its northern range.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Austral Canastero
Asthenes anthoides
Fairly common but easily overlooked in dense to fairly open shrub-steppe of Patagonia, where it feeds in bushes and runs well on the ground. Most often seen when singing from atop a bush or fence post; otherwise rather skulking and easily overlooked. The only streak-backed canastero in its southern range. Identified by whitish eyebrow and streaked back; in flight shows bright buffy wing stripe and whitish tail sides. Also compare with Correndera Pipit.
Streak-throated Hermit
Phaethornis rupurumii
Drab hummingbird with a white tipped tail found in northern South America, ranging west as far as eastern Colombia. Like other hermits, it has a dark mask bordered by buffy stripes and a long bill. The blurry dark streaks on its throat and breast help to separate it from other similar species. These streaks are variable, and on adult males they nearly form a solid dark patch, but females and young birds may only show a few small blotches. Found in a variety of habitats including seasonally flooded rainforest along the Amazon and drier and scrubbier forest in hilly terrain. Uncommon to rare in most of its range.
Brant
Branta bernicla
Small, short-legged coastal goose; distinctive black head and neck with small white necklace. Some variation in belly and flank coloration across subspecies. "Black Brant," mainly of western North America and eastern Asia, is darkest, with contrasting white flanks. Breeds on tundra in the high Arctic; winters in saltmarshes, rocky coastlines, sheltered bays, and beaches. Typically uncommon to rare inland. Almost always seen in flocks, only rarely mixing with other geese species.
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