White-winged Swallow
White-winged Swallow (Tachycineta albiventer)
[order] PASSERIFORMES | [family] Hirundinidae | [latin] Tachycineta albiventer | [UK] White-winged Swallow | [FR] Hirondelle a ailes blanches | [DE] Cayenneschwalbe | [ES] | [NL] Witbuikzwaluw
Subspecies
Monotypic species
Physical charateristics
The adult White-winged Swallow is 13.2 cm long and weighs 17 g. It has iridescent blue-green upperparts, white underparts and rump, and white edgings to the secondary flight feathers. The sexes are similar, but juvenile plumage is grey brown above apart from the white rump.
Listen to the sound of White-winged Swallow
[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/W/White-winged Swallow.mp3]
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
| wingspan min.: | 0 | cm | wingspan max.: | 0 | cm |
| size min.: | 14 | cm | size max.: | 15 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 0 | days | incubation max.: | 0 | days |
| fledging min.: | 0 | days | fledging max.: | 0 | days |
| broods: | 1 | eggs min.: | 3 | ||
| eggs max.: | 6 |
Range
South America : Colombia to North Argentina
Habitat
The White-winged Swallow is usually found near water. The White-winged Swallow is fairly common in Amazonia where it is found close to large rivers and lakes.
Reproduction
This swallow builds a cup nest lined with other birds’ feathers and some seed down in a tree hole, between boulders or in man-made structures. The clutch is 3-6 white eggs.
Feeding habits
It perches on branches above water and catches insects flying fairly low and close to the surface of the water. It normally occurs in pairs or small flocks.
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Migration
Northern population sedentary throughout range, Southern population breeding visitor.
Distribution map
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