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ShrublandCup nestTiny · 11 g
ID tip
The white-tailed swallow is a small bird that measures about 13 cm (5.1 in) in length. It is named for its distinct white underbelly which runs from the throat to the tail. The top of the bird's body, including its head, wings, and back, is mostly blue. The tail is slightly forked. It consists of short, white feathers and long, darker feathers on the edges, called rectrices, that are used for greater balance and steering while in flight. The white-tailed swallow is a sexually dimorphic bird; coloration and tail length differ between male and female.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the White-tailed Swallow
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 7 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is December, the month with the most records.
Where to see the White-tailed Swallow
The map shades 1 country with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
About the White-tailed Swallow
The white-tailed swallow is a small swallow belonging to the family Hirundinidae and is endemic to Oromia, Ethiopia. It is commonly referred to as "Benson's swallow" after the ornithologist Constantine Walter Benson, who described the species. This small bird is classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as there is a progressive declination of the species which now consists of less than 10,000 adult individuals worldwide. It has a surprisingly small range for a swallow, as it is wholly dependent on a cooler "bubble" surrounding its small range, likely for proper breeding success.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Blue SwallowHirundo atrocaeruleaThis species is a small swallow at 18–25 centimetres (7.1–9.8 in).
Pied-winged SwallowHirundo leucosomaThe pied-winged swallow is about 12 cm (4.7 in) long with glossy steel-blue wings and head.
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