Red-breasted Swallow
Cecropis semirufa
The Red-breasted Swallow (Cecropis semirufa) is a uncommon swallow found in 33 countries, weighing about 30 g. The red-breasted swallow, also known as the rufous-chested swallow, is a member of the family Hirundinidae, found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
About the Red-breasted Swallow
The red-breasted swallow, also known as the rufous-chested swallow, is a member of the family Hirundinidae, found in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is confined to the tropical rainforest during the wet season.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The red-breasted swallow is similar to the mosque swallow but is slightly smaller and has longer tail streamers, both species having a blue crown and mantle contrasting with a rufous rump and underparts, In the red-breasted swallow the dark crown extends below the eye and there is no white on the underwing. The juvenile is similar to the red-rumped swallow but has blue on the side of the head rather than dull red.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Lesotho.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Red-breasted Swallow?
- The red-breasted swallow is similar to the mosque swallow but is slightly smaller and has longer tail streamers, both species having a blue crown and mantle contrasting with a rufous rump and underparts, In the red-breasted swallow the dark crown extends below the eye and there is no white on the underwing. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Red-breasted Swallow?
- The Red-breasted Swallow is a small sized bird weighing about 30 g.
- Where can you see a Red-breasted Swallow?
- The Red-breasted Swallow occurs in 33 countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Botswana.
- What birds look similar to a Red-breasted Swallow?
- The Red-breasted Swallow is most easily confused with the Mosque Swallow, the Sri Lanka Swallow and the Rufous-bellied Swallow.
- Is the Red-breasted Swallow endangered?
- The Red-breasted Swallow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Red-breasted Swallow for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.