Pied-winged Swallow
Hirundo leucosoma
A small martin-like swallow with pale underparts, steel-blue upperparts, and distinctive white patches in the wings. Female has a shorter tail than the male. Juvenile is duller, with an even shorter tail. An uncommon resident and partial migrant that frequents woodland, coastal scrub, and rivers, foraging low over open clearings in pairs or with other swallows. Gives a quiet “chut” call. The similar migrant Common House-Martin overlaps with Pied-winged Swallow between October and April, but has a white rump and lacks white in the wings.
识别特征
The pied-winged swallow is about 12 cm (4.7 in) long with glossy steel-blue wings and head. Most of the underside of the bird is white, with additional white patches found on special wing feathers. The tail is also steel-blue, but has green reflections. Females and juveniles typically have shorter tails. Juveniles are also typified by a browner head and generally duller colour overall. The outer tail feathers have white inner edges and an oval white spot. The eyes are brown, while beak and feet are both black. It is the only West African swallow with a wing patch. Wings average 9.9 cm (3.9 in).<p>The pied-winged's call is a short "chut", but in general they are not especially vocal birds. They use the "chut" as a contact call, but usually vocalize only when perched.
分类信息
The pied-winged swallow was described by the English ornithologist William Swainson in 1837 who introduced its current binomial name Hirundo leucosoma. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek words leukos, "white" and sōma, sōmatos, "body". The species is monotypic. Evolutionarily, the pied-winged swallow occupies a basal position within the clade of Hirundo swallows and is most closely related to the pearl-breasted swallow (Hirundo dimidiata).
- 学名
- Hirundo leucosoma
- 命名信息
- Swainson, 1837
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Hirundinidae
- 属
- Hirundo
分布与栖息地
This swallow is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. It lives in a variety of environments including wooded savannas, forest clearings and rivers. It is not shy and will live around humans and in towns. Buildings and other human habitations make for common nesting sites, and have potentially boosted the pied-winged's population.<p>Pied-winged swallows are partial migrants, travelling as far as Ghana and Northern Nigeria during the rainy season. During non-breeding periods they can be found in Senegal and Togo. They have been recorded as vagrants in western Cameroon.
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
保护状况
Population trend: rising.
- 种群趋势
- rising
照片
分布
其他鸟类
Yellow-spotted Barbet
Buccanodon duchaillui
A distinctive, well patterned medium-sized barbet. Mostly black with a red patch on the forehead, a pale yellow stripe behind the eye, and heavy yellow markings on the back and belly. Found in humid forest at low and middle elevations. Somewhat similar to Hairy-breasted Barbet, but Yellow-spotted is smaller overall with a smaller bill and a red forehead. There are two vocalizations: a very fast, hollow trill and a much slower and lower-pitched series of several hoots. The trilling call seems to predominate in the eastern part of the range, and the hooting call in the west.
Scrub Euphonia
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Tiny finch of tropical lowlands and foothills, especially in drier areas. Occurs from eastern Mexico to Costa Rica, where it is found in open woodland, forest edge, and clearings with trees. Usually in pairs, sometimes small groups that associate readily with other euphonias, especially when feeding at mistletoe. Male has black head and throat with yellow forehead patch; female rather drab, but lacks vested appearance of female Yellow-throated Euphonia, which is slightly larger.
Monk Parakeet
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Medium-sized parakeet, bright lime green above with whitish face and chest, pinkish bill, and blue wingtips. Native to South America, where it is found in various open habitats, especially rural agricultural areas and towns. In introduced range, can be found locally in large cities. Builds enormous stick nests, often on large structures like cell phone towers and power poles; "Cliff Parakeet" of arid southcentral Bolivia manages to build, quite impressively, on sheer cliffs. Listen for its harsh, screeching voice.
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