Petrochelidon | |
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An American cliff swallow starting to build a mud nest under the eaves of a building in California | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Hirundinidae |
Genus: | Petrochelidon Cabanis, 1851 |
Type species | |
Hirundo melanogaster [1] Swainson, 1827 | |
Species | |
10, See text |
Petrochelidon is a genus of birds known as cliff-nesting swallows. The genus name Petrochelidon is from the Greek words petra, "rock", and khelidon, "swallow". [2]
The genus includes all of the five species of birds commonly called cliff swallow, and contains the following species:
The genus contains ten species: [3]
Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
American cliff swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | Canada and the United States of America, South American countries, such as Southern Brazil, Uruguay, and parts of Argentina. | |
Cave swallow | Petrochelidon fulva | south-eastern New Mexico, Texas, Florida, the Greater Antilles, portions of southern Mexico, and along the west coast of South America. | |
Chestnut-collared swallow | Petrochelidon rufocollaris | Ecuador and Peru. | |
Preuss's cliff swallow | Petrochelidon preussi | Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo. | |
Red-throated cliff swallow | Petrochelidon rufigula | Angola, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Gabon, and Zambia. | |
Red Sea cliff swallow | Petrochelidon perdita | Sudan. | |
South African cliff swallow | Petrochelidon spilodera | Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. | |
Streak-throated swallow | Petrochelidon fluvicola | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. | |
Fairy martin | Petrochelidon ariel | Australia, with some birds reaching New Guinea and Indonesia. | |
Tree martin | Petrochelidon nigricans | Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia east of the Wallace Line and the Solomon Islands. | |
The Eurasian crag martin or just crag martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long with ash-brown upperparts and paler underparts, and a short, square tail that has distinctive white patches on most of its feathers. It breeds in the mountains of southern Europe, northwestern Africa and across the Palearctic. It can be confused with the three other species in its genus, but is larger with brighter tail spots and different plumage tone. Many European birds are resident, but some northern populations and most Asian breeders are migratory, wintering in northern Africa, the Middle East or India.
The red-rumped swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in open hilly country of temperate southern Europe and Asia from Portugal and Spain to Japan, India, Sri Lanka and tropical Africa. The Indian and African birds are resident, but European and other Asian birds are migratory. They winter in Africa or India and are vagrants to Christmas Island and northern Australia.
The cliff swallow or American cliff swallow is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. The generic name Petrochelidon is derived from the Ancient Greek petros meaning "stone" and khelidon (χεlidOn) "swallow", and the specific name pyrrhonota comes from purrhos meaning "flame-coloured" and -notos "-backed".
Progne is a genus of passerine birds in the swallow family Hirundinidae. The species are found in the New World and all have "martin" in their common name.
The cave swallow is a medium-sized, squarish-tailed swallow belonging to the same genus as the more familiar and widespread cliff swallow of North America. The cave swallow, also native to the Americas, nests and roosts primarily in caves and sinkholes.
The streak-throated swallow or the Indian cliff swallow is a passerine bird, which includes a large number of other species including many swallows. It is native of South Asia where it is a breeder, year-round resident or winter visitor in the countries of Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. It occurs as a vagrant in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East.
The dusky crag martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It is about 13 cm (5 in) long with a broad body and wings, and a short square tail that has small white patches near the tips of most of its feathers. This martin has sooty-brown upperparts and slightly paler underparts. The two subspecies are resident breeding birds in South Asia from the Indian subcontinent to southwestern China and the northern parts of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
The rock martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family that is resident in central and southern Africa. It breeds mainly in the mountains, but also at lower altitudes, especially in rocky areas and around towns, and, unlike most swallows, it is often found far from water. It is 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in) long, with mainly brown plumage, paler-toned on the upper breast and underwing coverts, and with white "windows" on the spread tail in flight. The sexes are similar in appearance, but juveniles have pale fringes to the upperparts and flight feathers. The former northern subspecies are smaller, paler, and whiter-throated than southern African forms, and are now usually split as a separate species, the pale crag martin. The rock martin hunts along cliff faces for flying insects using a slow flight with much gliding. Its call is a soft twitter.
Riparia is a genus of passerine birds in the swallow family Hirundinidae.
The crag martins are four species of small passerine birds in the genus Ptyonoprogne of the swallow family. They are the Eurasian crag martin (P. rupestris), the pale crag martin (P. obsoleta), the rock martin (P. fuligula) and the dusky crag martin (P. concolor). They are closely related to each other, and have formerly sometimes been considered to be one species. They are closely related to the Hirundo barn swallows and are placed in that genus by some authorities. These are small swallows with brown upperparts, paler underparts without a breast band, and a square tail with white patches. They can be distinguished from each other on size, the colour shade of the upperparts and underparts, and minor plumage details like throat colour. They resemble the sand martin, but are darker below, and lack a breast band.
The tree martin is a member of the swallow family of passerine birds. It breeds in Australia, mostly south of latitude 20°S and on Timor island. It is migratory, wintering through most of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia east of the Wallace Line and the Solomon Islands. It is a vagrant to New Zealand, where it has bred, and New Caledonia. This species is frequently placed in the genus Hirundo as Hirundo nigricans.
The fairy martin is a member of the swallow family of passerine birds which breeds in Australia. It is migratory wintering through most of Australia, with some birds reaching New Guinea and Indonesia. It is increasingly a wanderer to New Zealand, where it may have bred. This species is frequently placed in the genus Hirundo as Hirundo ariel.
Tachycineta is a genus of birds in the swallow family Hirundinidae. There are nine described species all restricted to the Americas.
Atticora is a genus of bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that are found in South America.
The forest swallow is a little-known species of swallow in the family Hirundinidae, found in Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria.
The pale crag martin is a small passerine bird in the swallow family that is resident in Northern Africa and in Southwestern Asia, east to Pakistan. It breeds mainly in the mountains, but also at lower altitudes, especially in rocky areas and around towns. Unlike most swallows, it is often found far from water. It is 12–13 cm long, with mainly brown plumage, paler-toned on the upper breast and underwing coverts, and with white "windows" on the spread tail in flight. The sexes are similar in appearance, but juveniles have pale fringes to the upperparts and flight feathers. It was formerly considered to be the northern subspecies of the rock martin of southern Africa, although it is smaller, paler, and whiter-throated than that species. The pale crag martin hunts along cliff faces for flying insects using a slow flight with much gliding. Its call is a soft twitter.
The Red Sea cliff swallow, also known as the Red Sea swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae.
Preuss's cliff swallow, also known as Preuss's swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae.
The red-throated cliff swallow, also known as the red-throated swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It is found in Angola, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Gabon, and Zambia.
The South African cliff swallow, also known as the South African swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae native southern Africa. It winters to the lower Congo Basin.