The white-throated swallow (''Hirundo albigularis'') is a small bird in the

swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

. It is a common species, found in southern Africa, which has benefited from the increased nesting opportunities presented by the construction of bridges and dams.

Description

The white-throated swallow is 14–17 cm long. It has glossy dark blue upperparts and a bright chestnut crown. A dark blue-black breast band separates the white throat from the greyish white underparts and underwing coverts. The upper wings, underwing flight feathers and forked tail are blackish-blue, but the undertail has white patches near the feather tips. The white throat and blackish breast band are distinctions from similar ''

Hirundo The bird genus ''Hirundo'' is a group of passerines in the family Hirundinidae (swallows and martins). The genus name is Latin for a swallow. These are the typical swallows, including the widespread barn swallow. Many of this group have blue back ...

'' species. The outer feathers are slightly longer in the male than the female. Juveniles are duller than the adult, with shorter outer tail feathers and a browner crown. The call is a mix of warbles and twitters.

Distribution and habitat

The swallow breeds in southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

from

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and

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

southwards to the

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South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It is mainly migratory, wintering in Angola, Zambia and southern

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. This is a bird of open country and grassland, with a preference for highlands and nearby water. It is often found around man-made structures.

Behaviour

Feeding

It feeds mainly on flying insects, which it pursues with a fast twisting flight like a

barn swallow The barn swallow (''Hirundo rustica'') is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. In fact, it appears to have the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometres globally. ...

Breeding

The white-throated swallow builds a bowl-shaped mud nest with a soft lining of grass or hair. It is usually near or over water, and is built on a ledge under an overhang on a rock face or on a man-made structure such as a building, dam wall, culvert or bridge. Uninhabited buildings are preferred to houses. The nest may be reused for subsequent broods or in later years. The three eggs of a typical clutch are white with brown and blue blotches, and are incubated by the female alone for 15–16 days to hatching. Both parents then feed the chicks. Fledging takes another 20–21 days, but the young birds will return to the nest to roost for a few days after the first flight. The young can swim a short distance to safety if they fall from the nest.

Gallery

File:Hirundo albigularis, nes, Tweeling, a.jpg, File:Hirundo albigularis, nes onder bruggie, Pretoriuskloof, a.jpg, File:Hirundo albigularis, nes, Austin Roberts, b.jpg, File:Hirundo albigularis, eier, Tweeling, a.jpg, File:White-throated Swallow, Hirundo albigularis at Marievale Nature Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa. Sequence of two juveniles being fed on the fly by their parents. (15444840709).jpg,

References

* Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton, ''SASOL Birds of Southern Africa'', * Turner and Rose, ''Swallows and Martins''

External links

* White-throated swallow
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q374600

white-throated swallow The white-throated swallow (''Hirundo albigularis'') is a small bird in the swallow family. It is a common species, found in southern Africa, which has benefited from the increased nesting opportunities presented by the construction of bridges a ...

Birds of Southern Africa