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Red-rumped Swallow
(Cecropsis daurica)
 German name(s): "Rötelschwalbe"
Size: 14-19 cm (incl. 3-5 cm tail projection;
race )
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Red-rumped Swallows are similar in size to other swallows, while
martins
are smaller.
The nape of the neck and the sides of the head are rusty-brown.
The frons is grey, while the cap is black, as is the rest of
the upperparts (the mantle is bluish-black, while the wing
feathers are more dark-grey to black).
Only the rump, which gives the species its name,
is pale rusty-red.
The cheeks and the front are creamy to buff, with light streaking.
Only the undertail coverts are off-white without streaking.
The tail is black and deeply forked.
The eyes have dark irises, while
the very short bill is black; legs and feet are grey.
Juveniles
have a shorter tail, duller colours and a yellow-orange gape.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Red-rumped
Swallow at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the
ebird.org
website.
The global distribution of the Red-rumped Swallow is available
HERE
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Red-rumped Swallows are a partly migratory species with
a number of different races whose overall range spans
from southern Asia via Arabia and Africa to southern Europe.
Most of those races are migratory, with the European and
western Asian populations migrating to sub-Saharan Africa,
while the central and eastern Asian populations migrate to
more southerly locations in Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
In Europe Red-rumped Swallows are found as breeding migrants only
around the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea coastline.
Their core range in Europe is located in Greece (and as far to the
North as the lower Danube River valley) and the southern
2/3 of the Iberian peninsula. Elsewhere their range is restricted
to the coastal areas of southern France and coastal parts of Italy.
Red-rumped Swallows have a preference for open country, including
mountainous terrain with little ground vegetation.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "rufula"
S. Cuturilov reports finding Red-rumped Swallows, race
"rufula",
in Paralia, Greece, in September 2017.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this page
has been kindly contributed by S. Cuturilov.
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Photos |
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Race "rufula"
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ADULT |
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Adult Red-rumped Swallow, centre, with two dependent juveniles
(photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]
Adult Red-rumped Swallow, lower left, with a juvenile
(photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Begging juvenile Red-rumped Swallow
(photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]
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Food, Diet |
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| Adults: Small insects |
Dependents: As adults |
Water intake: Daily(?) |
Like all other swallows known to us, Red-rumped Swallows are insect hunters.
They feed in-flight on small insects.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Distribution
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Call/s
