Angola Swallow
Hirundo angolensis
A small swallow with blue upperparts, chestnut forecrown, and throat with a narrow incomplete dark breast band and gray underparts. Singles, pairs and groups are residents and intra-African migrants to open grassland, cultivation, and wetland fringes. Barn Swallow is similar to Angola but is larger with much longer outer tail feathers, broader complete breast band and white underparts; Ethiopian Swallow has buff (not chestnut) throat and white (not gray) underparts. Vocalizations include typically swallow-like weak twitters.
Identification
They measure 15 cm and weigh 16 to 19 g. The plumage of the forehead, throat and upper breast is coloured deep rufous-chestnut. The crown and upperparts are a shiny steel-blue. Flight and tail feathers are black, the latter with large white windows.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Hirundo angolensis
- Authority
- Barboza du Bocage, 1868
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Hirundo
Range and habitat
It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
They frequent a variety of open habitats up to the fringes of forest, whether altered by man or natural. Their diet consists of a variety of flying insects. They may forage alone or in flocks, and emit a weak twittering. Their breeding season and abundance depends much on their region of residence, and a few undertake migrations.
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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