Streak-throated Swallow
Petrochelidon fluvicola
A small brown-black swallow with a short tail and comparatively weak flight. The forehead, crown, and back of the neck are dull chestnut with faint dark streaks. The back is glossy deep blue with a few narrow whitish streaks; the rump is pale brown and is more prominent in flight. The wings and tail are blackish-brown, and the tail almost square-ended. Underparts are buffy white with blackish-brown streaks, especially the chin, throat, and upper breast. Juvenile is duller and browner than adult, with buff feather edges and faint streaks on underparts. Found mostly as individuals in mixed swallow flocks; different, weaker flight action is characteristic.
Identification
The streak-throated swallow is a sparrow-sized bird about 11 cm (4.3 in) in length. It has a dull chestnut forehead and crown. The underparts are whitish, the upper feathers are steel-blue. The rump is pale brown and the tail has a square end. The brown streaks on the throat and chest are distinctive and used to differentiate from other similar birds. On cold mornings, large flocks are seen closely-packed on electric wires to catch the early sun. Its voice is a twittering chirp while perched. In flight, it utters a sharp trr-trr.
Taxonomy
The streak-throated swallow was first identified by the English zoologist Edward Blyth in 1855. It is currently placed in the genus Petrochelidon, identified by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1850. A synonym is Hirundo fluvicola. It belongs to the family Hirundinidae, named by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815.
- Scientific name
- Petrochelidon fluvicola
- Authority
- (Blyth, 1855)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Petrochelidon
Range and habitat
The streak-throated swallow is a year-round resident in much of South Asia. It is found from the plains of Pakistan east along the base of the Himalayas to Sikkim. The range extends southwards through the Indian peninsula up to Point Calimere in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is found in large colonies in cultivated fields and open areas near ponds, lakes, canals and rivers.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The diet consists of midges and other tiny winged insects which are caught in the air. The nesting season is almost year round, from December to April and July to October. The birds build large colonial nests of mud. They consist of many pot-like nests fused together. Entrance to each nest is via a short tube.<p>Flocks of streak-throated sparrows appear to be attached to specific locations. This may be influenced by proximity to sources of food. In a college in Rajasthan, India, a flock of streak-throated swallows had built a nest colony about 9 m (30 ft) above the ground, under the roof. The nests were destroyed during renovation of the building in October 2010. Within 4 days, the birds started to rebuild the nests and they completed the colony within 4 months. Every year, despite destruction of their nests during cleaning of the building, the flock returned to the same site and rebuilt the nesting colony.
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Asthenes pudibunda
Fairly common but local and easily overlooked in the Andes, mainly in canyons and on rocky slopes with fairly dense bushes and scrub. Usually rather skulking; keeps low in bushes and creeps in vegetation, but often sings from atop a bush. Plumage rather plain but relatively dark brownish above with chestnut wings and a dark-centered chestnut tail. Compare with Cordilleran Canastero, of more open habitats; also note differences in song and calls.
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Wattled Guan
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Distinctive guan: all black with cerulean bill, yellowish-orange legs, and thin yellow dewlap. Could be confused with Sickle-winged Guan, which is smaller and has warm brown underparts. Occurs in the subtropical zone of the Andes from Venezuela to Peru, from around 1,200 to 2,200 m. Surprisingly difficult to see as it forages in the middle to upper levels of dense forest; rarely perches in the open. Most often detected by its amazing voice, a strange alien-like call that rises and falls.
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