Fanti Sawwing
Psalidoprocne obscura
An elegant sooty-brown swallow with a distinctive long and deeply forked tail. Plumage has a greenish gloss if seen well. Female and juvenile have shorter tails, and the latter is brownish. Resident in some areas; in others, occurs only in the breeding season. Pairs prefer foraging over clearings and the edges of evergreen forest, open woodland, and cultivation, usually near water. Not very vocal, but emits faint squeaky notes and trills. The only other sawwing in Fanti’s range is Square-tailed, which has a much shorter, square-ended tail.
Identification
This is a small swallow at 17 cm. Its plumage is glossy green. The tail is long and deeply forked. Sexes are similar, but the female has a shorter tail. Juveniles are brown with little gloss, and have short tails.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Psalidoprocne obscura
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1855)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Psalidoprocne
Range and habitat
The Fanti saw-wing breeds in the lowlands of southern west Africa from Senegal to Cameroon. It is mainly resident, apart from seasonal movements. This bird is found in open country, including light woodland, near water. <p>Fanti saw-wings are graceful flyers and they generally feed on insects, including beetles, while airborne. They are typically seen low over water or grassland.<p>The lined nests are built in a 60 cm burrow in a vertical bank. The clutch is two eggs.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
White-throated Robin-Chat
Dessonornis humeralis
A striking medium-sized robin-chat with a slaty gray crown and back separated from the black wings and face mask by a white bar in the shoulder and a white eyebrow, respectively. The throat and breast are white, fading into amber orange on the vent, on the rump, and in the outer tail. Pairs prefer thickets in a variety of woodland types, where they forage secretively on the ground by flicking through leaf litter. They will remain low or sit up on perches to sing their high-pitched melodious song which includes imitations of other species.
Elegant Parrot
Neophema elegans
Handsome small parrot of southern Australia. Yellowish-green overall, with yellow underbelly, green back, green head, and thin dark blue patch on folded wing. Face yellow between eye and bill, with a thin blue line between the eyes. Feeds on the ground in open areas, including salt marshes. Compare Rock Parrot (duller green, lacks the yellow on face) and Blue-winged Parrot (more olive, small yellow patch behind eye). Calls include a very thin insect-like "zit" and a raspy trill.
Chilean Flicker
Colaptes pitius
No similar species in its range. Found in woodland, forest, matorral, and farmland with taller trees and hedges; often feeds on the ground. In some areas of central Chile nests in colonies in dirt bluffs, such as along roadsides; elsewhere usually nests in holes drilled in trees. Note the gray crown and plain buffy face (with dark whisker on male), big white rump patch, and yellow shafts to wing feathers (mainly visible in flight). Loud shrieking calls sometimes draw attention.
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