Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis) | Photos and ID

LCLeast ConcernInvertebrates

ShrublandCavity nestSmall · 16 g

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 1 — Photo: Marcelo Schmidt Roberti · CC BY 4.0

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 2 — Photo: filipeprates · CC BY 4.0

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 3 — Photo: Gonzalo Romero · CC BY 4.0

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 4 — Photo: Frank Thomas Sautter · CC0

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 5 — Photo: yongestation · CC BY 4.0

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 6 — Photo: Bruno Luka de Souza Bambirra Silveira · CC BY 4.0

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 7 — Photo: Bruno Luka de Souza Bambirra Silveira · CC BY 4.0

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 8 — Photo: Paulo Nogueira · CC BY 4.0

Southern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis), photo 9 — Photo: Paulo Nogueira · CC BY 4.0

ID tip

The southern rough-winged swallow is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs 14 to 18 g (0.49 to 0.63 oz). The sexes have almost the same plumage. Adult males of the nominate subspecies S. r. ruficollis have a mostly dark gray-brown head with a cinnamon throat. Their upperparts are mostly dark gray-brown with a slightly paler rump. Their tail is square; it and their wings are blackish brown. Their wings' outer primaries have stiff recurved barbs on their outer webs that give the bird its English name. Females lack these barbs. Voice: The southern rough-winged swallow's most common vocalization has variously been described as "an upslurred suree", "a musical, rising zwee", and "a distinctive rough, upslurred djreeet". It also makes twitters and other buzzy vocalizations.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Southern Rough-winged Swallow

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 18 countries with regular records, and 3 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Colombia Brazil Costa Rica Ecuador Panama Peru Venezuela Argentina Trinidad & Tobago Uruguay Bolivia Guyana Paraguay Honduras Nicaragua Suriname French Guiana Caribbean Netherlands

Recorded as a rare visitor in Belize, Curaçao, Aruba.

About the Southern Rough-winged Swallow

The southern rough-winged swallow a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. It is found in Central America from Honduras south, in every mainland South American country except Chile, on Trinidad, and as a vagrant to Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Tobago, and the Falkland Islands.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennisAdults are 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) in length, brown above with white underparts, a small bill, and a forked tail.

Side by side: Northern Rough-winged Swallow vs Southern Rough-winged Swallow

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