- Cecropis abyssinica
Hirundo abyssinica
Identification
15–19 cm (6-7½ in)
- Rufous-chestnut forehead, ear-coverts, nape and neck
- Dark blue blue upperparts
- Blackish-brown upper wings and underwing flight feathers
- Tawny underwing coverts
- Red rump
- White underparts with dark streaking
- Black tail with very long outer feathers
Juveniles are duller and browner, with less contrast and shorter outer tail feathers.
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa: From Senegal and southern Sudan south to eastern South Africa.
Taxonomy
Previously included in genus Hirundo
Subspecies
There are six subspecies
- C. a. abyssinica:
- South-eastern Sudan (and north-eastern South Sudan?), Ethiopia, and Eritrea
- C. a. unitatis:
- Gabon east to southern South Sudan, Kenya, and southern Somalia, south to central Angola, eastern Zambia, Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana, Mozambique, and eastern South Africa
- C. a. puella:
- Senegambia to north-eastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon
- C. a. maxima:
- South East Nigeria and southern Cameroon to south-western Central African Republic
- C. a. bannermani:
- North-eastern Central African Republic to south-western Sudan and northwestern South Sudan
- C. a. ampliformis:
- South Angola to northern Namibia, western Zambia and north-western Zimbabwe
Habitat
Grassland, savanna, open woodland, forest edgea and clearings, areas under cultivation and around human settlements.
Behaviour
Breeding
They construct a bowl-shaped mud nest with a tubular entrance which is lined with soft material. The nest may be placed in a cave, under a rock overhang or on a tree branch. The clutch contains 3 white, brown spotted eggs which are incubated by the female for 14-16 days. Both adults feed the chicks for 17-19 days till they fledge.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of flying ant, bees, flies, butterflies and moths. They also eat some fruit.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Turner, A. (2020). Lesser Striped Swallow (Cecropis abyssinica), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lessts1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Lesser Striped Swallow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Striped_Swallow
