Lesser Striped Swallow
Cecropis abyssinica
A rather small, neat swallow with a distinctive burnt-orange skullcap extending onto the cheeks like a helmet, a rufous rump, and boldly streaked underparts. It is mostly resident in equatorial Africa, and a wet season breeding visitor to the northwest and southeast parts of its range. Pairs and small groups forage over grassland, woodland, and cultivation, generally at lower elevations than Greater Striped Swallow. The flight is fairly strong, much like that of a Barn Swallow. The larger Greater Striped Swallow is similar to Lesser Striped Swallow but with fewer and finer streaks, especially on the throat and ears, giving it a more open-faced appearance.
识别特征
The lesser striped swallow is 15–10 cm long. It has dark blue upperparts with a red rump and a rufous-chestnut crown, nape and sides of the head. The underparts are white with dark streaking, and the upper wings and underwing flight feathers are blackish-brown. The underwing coverts are tawny. The blackish tail has very long outer feathers; these are slightly longer in the male than the female. Juveniles are duller and browner, with less contrast and shorter outer tail feathers. There are five or six subspecies differing in the extent of the underpart streaking.<p>The lesser striped swallow has heavier and darker underparts striping, a deeper red rump, and a brighter head colour than the larger greater striped swallow.
分类信息
- 学名
- Cecropis abyssinica
- 命名信息
- (Guérin-Méneville, 1843)
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Hirundinidae
- 属
- Cecropis
分布与栖息地
This is a bird of wooded, mainly lowland habitats. The lesser striped swallow prefers less open habitats, and is replaced in montane grassland by the greater striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata. It is common and often found around human habitation.
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
It feeds mainly on flying insects, but has been known to eat small fruits. The flight is erratic, and the call is a nasal zeh zeh zeh zeh zeh.<p>The lesser striped swallow builds a bowl-shaped mud nest with a tubular entrance on the underside of a suitable structure. The nest has a soft lining, and may be reused in later years. The nest may be built in a cave, under a rock overhang or a tree branch. This species has benefited from its willingness to use buildings, bridges, culverts and similar structures. Given the choice, it will select a high nest site.<p>The eggs are glossy white sometimes with a few brown spots; three eggs are a typical clutch. Incubation is by the female alone for 14–16 days to hatching. Both parents then feed the chicks. Fledging takes another 17–19 days, but the young birds will return to the nest to roost for a few days after their first flight.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- rising
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Band-tailed Manakin
Pipra fasciicauda
Small manakin of lowland rainforest. Males are bright yellow with black wings and back, red cap, and a variable red wash on breast; males also have a white tail band, which is most visible in flight. Females are dull yellow-olive with a slightly brighter yellow belly. Compared to other female manakins, females of this species have a white eye and are more yellow, with a yellower belly. Found in the understory of mature rainforest, as well as in bamboo. Listen for the male’s song, a descending “teew” whistle.
Sakalava Weaver
Ploceus sakalava
Chunky, big-billed weaver of dry country. Yellow-hooded breeding male is distinctive. Both sexes have pink bare skin around the eye. Madagascar endemic that is found in the north and west at low and middle elevation. Preferred habitats include open forest, scrub, plantations, savannah, and villages. Very social weaver that is almost always found in flocks, sometimes mixed with other birds, and which nests in bustling colonies. The nest is a messy hanging orb. Song is a complex, high-pitched series of scolding and sizzling notes. Call is a husky “chert.” Female and non-breeding male similar to fodies, but separated by larger size, bigger bill, pink facial skin, and different facial pattern.
Lined Antshrike
Thamnophilus tenuepunctatus
Handsome, strongly patterned bird with a stout bill. Inhabits dense vegetation at edge of humid forest in the eastern foothills of the Andes. Male is densely barred black and white. Female is barred on underparts but also has chestnut back, wings, tail, and crown. Male similar to male Barred Antshrike but darker and usually found at higher elevations. Female is identical in plumage to female Chestnut-backed Antshrike; their ranges come close in Peru but are not known to overlap. Song is a nasal “bouncing ball” series that ends with a single higher note.
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