White tailed swallow
| White tailed swallow | ||||||||||||
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White tailed swallow ( Hirundo megaensis ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hirundo megaensis | ||||||||||||
| Benson , 1942 |
The white tailed swallow or Benson's swallow ( Hirundo megaensis ) is a species of bird from the swallow family (Hirundinidae). It occurs in Ethiopia and is resident there .
features
The white tailed swallow reaches a size of 13 centimeters and a weight of 11 grams. The males have a shiny steel-blue top. The wings are black with a bluish tinge. The tail is slightly forked. The inner tail feathers are white with black shaft stripes, the outer tail feathers are white on the inner flags . The throat and underside are white. The white-tailed swallow differs from its closest relative, the white-throated swallow ( Hirundo aethiopica ), by its bluish (not reddish) forehead, its shorter, whiter tail, its whiter throat and the lack of a chest band. The females of the white-tailed swallow are less shiny and white in color than the males and have a shorter tail. The juvenile birds are more dull in color with lighter hems on the wings of the hand and arm, on the umbrella feathers, on the upper tail-coverts and on the tail feathers. The white tailed swallow has a high-pitched, chirping call.
Distribution area and habitat
The white-tailed swallow occurs in southern Ethiopia in the regions of Yabelo and Mega as well as in the province of Sidamo . It prefers open, semi-arid grassland dominated by acacia , acacia woodland and villages as habitat. It occurs mainly at altitudes between 1500 and 1700 meters. Occasionally it can also be observed at 990 meters or at an altitude of up to 2400 meters.
Way of life
The white-tailed swallow searches for food in the vicinity of flowering trees and flies with quick and elegant flaps of its wings. The diet consists of insects, especially beetles. The breeding season is in the main rainy season between April and May. The nest is open cup-shaped and is usually built on the roof posts of village huts, but also on well walls, termite mounds and culverts . The clutch consists of three to four eggs.
status
The white-tailed swallow is endangered by the conversion of the acacia bush into pastureland and agricultural land. While the population was considered stable in the 1980s, today BirdLife International estimates it to be between 2,500 and 10,000 specimens. In 1986 the region around Yabelo was declared a game reserve in order to better protect the white tailed swallow and the endangered Zavattari bird ( Zavattariornis stresemanni ).
literature
- J. Del Hoyo, A. Elliot, D. Christie (Editors): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails . Lynx Edicions, 2004, ISBN 8487334695
- RJ Mellanby, B. Ross, A. Watt, M. Wondafrash, M. Ewnetu, C. Broadhurst, R. Critchlow, A. Dadesa, T. Deas, C. Enawgaw, B. Gebremedin, E. Graham, S. Maclean , M. Mckean, NJ Collar, CN Spottiswoode: Distribution, abundance and habitat preferences of White-tailed Swallow Hirundo megaensis and Ethiopian Bush-crow Zavattariornis stresemanni, two southern Ethiopian endemics. In: Bird Conservation International 18, 2008. pp. 395-412
Web links
- ARKive - Photos and information on the White Tailed Swallow .
- Videos, photos and sound recordings on Hirundo megaensis in the Internet Bird Collection
- White-tailed Swallow - BirdLife Species Factsheet
- Hirundo megaensis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2013.