Alternative name: Red-breasted Swallow
- Cecropis semirufa
Hirundo semirufa
Identification
24cm. Blue upperparts, reddish collar, rump, face and underparts, white underwings with dark flight feathers, forked tail, and slightly longer in the male. Juveniles are duller and browner.
Distribution
Taxonomy
Previously included in genus Hirundo
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]
- C. s. gordoni:
- Senegambia east to southern South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda,southwestern Kenya, and northwestern Tanzania, south to northern Angola and central Democratic Republic of the Congo
- C. s. semirufa:
- Botswana to Malawi, Mozambique and eastern Cape Province
Habitat
Dry open country.
Behaviour
Breeding
It builds a closed mud nest with a tubular entrance in a cavity or under bridges and similar structures. 3 eggs are usually laid.
Diet
The diet includes insects which are caught on the wing.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Rufous-chested Swallow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rufous-chested_Swallow
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
