White-tailed swallow

Last updated

White-tailed swallow
Hirundo megaensis Mega.jpg
At Mega, Ethiopia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Genus: Hirundo
Species:
H. megaensis
Binomial name
Hirundo megaensis
Benson, 1942

The white-tailed swallow (Hirundo megaensis) is a small swallow belonging to the family Hirundinidae and is endemic to Oromia, Ethiopia. [2] It is commonly referred to as "Benson's swallow" after the ornithologist Constatine Walter Benson, who named the species. [3] This small bird is classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as there is a progressive declination of the species which now consists of less than 10,000 adult individuals worldwide. [1] [4] It has a surprisingly small range for a swallow, as it is wholly dependent on a cooler "bubble" surrounding its small range, likely for proper breeding success. It is one of the most threatened bird species by climate change and a massive range reduction is projected in the future. [5]

Contents

Description

The white-tailed swallow is a small bird that measures about 13cm in length. [4] It is named for its distinct white underbelly which runs from the throat to the tail. The top of the bird's body, including its head, wings, and back, is mostly blue. The tail is slightly forked. [3] It consists of short, white feathers and long, darker feathers on the edges, called rectrices, that are used for greater balance and steering while in flight. The white-tailed swallow is a sexually dimorphic bird; coloration and tail length differ between male and female. Male white-tailed swallows have brighter blue and white plumage than females. Females are often described as having duller coats with less vibrant coloration. [6] Females tend to have more blue-grey plumage while males have blue-black. [3] Both adult male and female birds have "glossy" coats, although the brightness varies. [6] The overall size of the bird depends on its sex. Female white-tailed swallows are slightly smaller with shorter tails than the male.

The young white-tailed swallow has more brown plumage than the adult. It has a dull coat and is not as glossy as the adult white-tailed swallow. [6] In addition to being relatively smaller than the adult white-tailed swallow, it is similar in appearance to the adult female white-tailed swallow in terms of size, tail length, and coloration. [3]

Habitat and distribution

Habitat

The natural habitat of the white-tailed swallow is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. [4] It is endemic to southern Ethiopia and particularly restricted to the Yabelo–Mega region of Oromia. [7] It is found between altitudes of 4,000-4,500ft; however, it is not prevalent in altitudes lower than 4000ft. [3] The white-tailed swallow is most commonly found in both savanna and grassland pastures of high elevation. [4] [8] The white-tailed swallow often settles nearby human civilization.

Population

The white-tailed swallow is endemic to Ethiopia, meaning it is not found anywhere else in the world. The small bird is labelled as a vulnerable species according to the IUCN. There are approximately 3,500-15,000 white-tailed swallows remaining in the world and the number of adult individuals is even less at 2,500-9,999. [4] The population of the white-tailed swallow is continuously decreasing due to both natural and human causes. The population has experienced a declining trend since 1988 and has been classified as vulnerable since 1994. [4]

Threats

Habitat loss

A major threat to the white-tailed swallow is habitat loss. It experiences a natural habitat loss known as woody plant encroachment. [7] Woody encroachment is the overgrowth of "unpalatable thorny shrubs" that dominates other plants and is caused by several factors, specifically fire suppression and overgrazing. [8] [9] Fire suppression in the Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary is a factor in the overgrowth of shrubbery where the white-tailed swallow cannot live or breed comfortably. [7] Overgrazing is caused by humans through poor rotation of crops or by allowing farm animals to overfeed on the pastures. Both fire suppression and overgrazing lead to woody encroachment which further hinders the white-tailed swallow's habitat range.

The white-tailed swallow also experiences habitat loss due to humans. Human factors contributing to habitat loss include an increase in human population, overgrazing, and increased cultivation in the area. [2] [7] [9] With an increase of human population in southern Ethiopia comes the expansion of traditional huts into the habitat of the white-tailed swallow which takes away from their natural habitat and modifies it. As mentioned before, overgrazing is a threat to habitat loss of the white-tailed swallow because it can result in woody plant encroachment. Furthermore, an increase in cultivation can lead to habitat degradation by turning fields and forests into farmland.

Climate change

Due to its extremely unusual and specific temperature requirements for breeding, the white-tailed sparrow (along with the sympatric Stresemann's bushcrow, Zavattariornis stresemanni) is considered one of the most threatened birds by climate change; it could lose up to 68% of its range in even the best-case climate scenarios, and as high as 84% in the worst-case scenarios. Occupied range can often overestimate the number of individuals occupying the range, so the estimated population reduction may be even more than the percentage of habitat loss. Both species may be the only examples of warm-blooded animals whose range is fully driven by the climate. The birds and their projected decline may be used as indicator species for climate change, allowing them to test the reliability of habitat models for other threatened animals. Both may also serve as flagship species for the impacts of climate change on avian diversity in Africa. [5] [10]

Conservation

The Yabelo wildlife sanctuary, located in southern Ethiopia, is a protected area in which the white-tailed swallow can be found. [2] This area is sheltered against destruction of the ecosystem; however, there is previously noted fire suppression in the area which contributes to bush encroachment.

Additionally, traditional huts in the Yabelo-Mega region influence the prevalence of the white-tailed swallow and their ability to build nests. Since the white-tailed swallow commonly builds nests in and on the local huts, they are essential to conserving the species and providing suitable nesting locations. [6]

Behaviour and ecology

Nesting

The white-tailed swallow tends to builds its nests in traditional Borana huts and termite mounds. [3] [6] Village huts provide protection against weather. The small bird tends to build nests on the huts' roof beams and door frames where there is support for the nest. [6] The white-tailed swallow does not seem affected by the presence of humans and will build their nests inside occupied huts. White-tailed swallow nests have also been spotted in termite mounds, although it is not as common. Termite mounds are harder to detect and difficult to determine whether nests have been built inside.

The physical nest of the white-tailed swallow resembles a small bowl or cup. They are typically constructed of mud, grass, and animal hair. [6] The nests are observed to be around 60-160mm deep. [6]

Reproduction and breeding habits

There are two breeding seasons for the white-tailed swallow. The first is from April to June and the following is from October to November. [6] Both breeding terms occur during the rain seasons in southern Ethiopia. [11] The white-tailed swallow typically lays 3-4 white eggs for each breeding season. [6] The incubation phase is claimed to last between 2-3 weeks. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barn swallow</span> Migratory passerine bird, and the most widespread species of swallow

The barn swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world, occurring on all continents, with vagrants reported even in Antarctica. It appears to have the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometres globally. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply forked tail. In Anglophone Europe, it is just called the swallow; in northern Europe, it is the only member of family Hirundinidae called a "swallow" rather than a "martin".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swallow</span> Family of birds

The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The term "swallow" is used as the common name for Hirundo rustica in the UK and Ireland. Around 90 species of Hirundinidae are known, divided into 21 genera, with the greatest diversity found in Africa, which is also thought to be where they evolved as hole-nesters. They also occur on a number of oceanic islands. A number of European and North American species are long-distance migrants; by contrast, the West and South African swallows are nonmigratory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common tern</span> Migratory seabird in the family Laridae with circumpolar distribution

The common tern is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian crag martin</span> Small passerine bird in the swallow family

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-rumped swallow</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stresemann's bushcrow</span> Species of bird

Stresemann's bushcrow, also known as the Abyssinian pie, bush crow, Ethiopian bushcrow, or by its generic name Zavattariornis, is a rather starling-like bird, which is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is slightly larger than the North American blue jay and is a bluish-grey in overall colour which becomes almost white on the forehead. The throat and chest are creamy-white with the tail and wings a glossy black. The black feathers have a tendency to bleach to brown at their tips. The iris of the bird is brown and the eye is surrounded by a band of naked bright blue skin. The bill, legs, and feet are black.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome swallow</span> Species of bird

The welcome swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that is native to Australia and nearby islands. It has self-introduced into New Zealand in the middle of the twentieth century. It is very similar to the Pacific swallow with which it is often considered conspecific.

Yabelo is a town in southern Ethiopia. An alternative name for this town is Obda, which is also the name of a nearby mountain. Located northwest of Moyale in the Borena Zone of the Oromia, this town has a latitude and longitude of 4°53′N38°5′E and an elevation of 1857 meters above sea level. It has been the administrative center of the Borena Zone since its division from Guji Zone in September 2002, as well as Yabelo woreda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-billed duck</span> Species of bird

The blue-billed duck is a small Australian stiff-tailed duck, with both the male and female growing to a length of 40 cm (16 in). The male has a slate-blue bill which changes to bright-blue during the breeding season, hence the duck's common name. The male has deep chestnut plumage during breeding season, reverting to a dark grey. The female retains black plumage with brown tips all year round. The duck is endemic to Australia's temperate regions, inhabiting natural inland wetlands and also artificial wetlands, such as sewage ponds, in large numbers. It can be difficult to observe due to its cryptic nature during its breeding season through autumn and winter. The male duck exhibits a complex mating ritual. The blue-billed duck is omnivorous, with a preference for small aquatic invertebrates. BirdLife International has classified this species as Least concern. Major threats include drainage of deep permanent wetlands, or their degradation as a result of introduced fish, peripheral cattle grazing, salinization, and lowering of ground water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky crag martin</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser striped swallow</span> Species of bird

The lesser striped swallow is a large swallow. It breeds in Sub-Saharan Africa from Sierra Leone and southern Sudan south into eastern South Africa. It is partially migratory with South African birds wintering further north. West African birds leave the north of the breeding range in the dry season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock martin</span> Small passerine bird in the swallow family in central and southern Africa

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden swallow</span> Species of bird

The golden swallow is a swallow endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and was once native to Jamaica, but is now extirpated there. It is restricted to isolated montane forests that primarily consist of the Hispaniolan pine. This species is considered to be a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The exact cause of its extirpation from Jamaica is unknown, but likely factors include predation by introduced mammals and habitat loss, although the habitat loss theory is not supported by much evidence. The last sighting of the nominate subspecies was in Hardwar Gap, with three birds being seen on 8 June 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crag martin</span> Genus of birds

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South American tern</span> Species of bird

The South American tern is a species of tern found in coastal regions of southern South America, including the Falkland Islands, ranging north to Peru and Brazil. It is generally the most common tern in its range. The smaller, highly migratory common tern closely resembles it. The specific epithet refers to the "swallow-like" forked tail feathering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-winged flufftail</span> Species of bird

The white-winged flufftail is a very rare African bird in the family Sarothruridae. The estimated global population size of white-winged flufftails is less than 250 adults. These birds reside in Ethiopia and South Africa but it is unknown whether these populations are one large or two different populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-backed swallow</span> Species of bird

The white-backed swallow is a member of the swallow family Hirundinidae and is endemic to Australia. It is the only species placed in the genus Cheramoeca. As with all swallows, it is characterised by adaptation to aerial feeding. It can be identified by its white back, surrounded by black wings and tail. It has a wide distribution, from the southern part of the Australian continent, up to the Tropic of Capricorn. The white-backed swallow prefers grasslands and will create a burrow nest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angola swallow</span> Species of bird

The Angola swallow is a species of swallow that is native to the Afrotropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale crag martin</span> Passerine bird in the swallow family

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazza's martin</span> Species of bird found in Africa

Brazza's martin is a passerine bird in the swallow family, Hirundinidae. It is 12 centimeters (4.7 in) long with grey-brown upperparts, heavily black-streaked white underparts, and a brownish tint to the breast plumage. The sexes are similar, but juvenile birds have more diffuse breast streaking and reddish-brown edges to the feathers of the back and wings. The song consists of a series of short notes of increasing frequency, followed by a complex buzz that is sometimes completed by a number of clicks.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2012). "Hirundo megaensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Gedeon, K., Zewdie, C., & Töpfer, T. (2017). The birds (Aves) of Oromia, Ethiopia – an annotated checklist. European Journal of Taxonomy,306: 1–69. doi: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2017.306
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Benson, C.W. (1942). A new species and ten new races from southern Abyssinia. Bulletin of The British Ornithologists' Club, 63: 8-19. https://archive.org/details/biostor-116712/page/n2
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 BirdLife International. (2016). White-tailed Swallow: Hirundo megaensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22712330A94329844. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22712330A94329844.en
  5. 1 2 Bladon, Andrew J.; Donald, Paul F.; Collar, Nigel J.; Denge, Jarso; Dadacha, Galgalo; Wondafrash, Mengistu; Green, Rhys E. (2021-05-19). "Climatic change and extinction risk of two globally threatened Ethiopian endemic bird species". PLOS ONE. 16 (5): e0249633. Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1649633B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249633 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   8133463 . PMID   34010302.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Bladon, A. J.,Töpfer, T., Collar, N.J., Gedeon, K., Donald, P.F., Dellelegn, Y., … Green, R.E. (2015). Notes on the behaviour, plumage and distribution of the White-tailed Swallow Hirundo megaensis. Bulletin of the African Bird Club, 22(2), 148-161. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1810/253054/Bladon%20et%20al.%202015%20Bulletin%20of%20the%20African%20Bird%20Club.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  7. 1 2 3 4 Mellanby, R.J., Ross, B., Watt, A., Wondafrash, M., Ewnetu, M., Broadhurst, C., ... Spottiswoode, C. N. (2008). Distribution, abundance and habitat preferences of White-tailed Swallow Hirundo megaensisand Ethiopian Bush-crow Zavattariornis stresemanni, two southern Ethiopian endemics. Bird Conservation International,18: 395–412. doi: 10.1017/S0959270908007314
  8. 1 2 Spottiswoode, C.N., Wondafrash, M., Gabremichael, M. N., Dellelegn Abebe, Y., Mwangi, M.A.K., Collar, N.J., Dolman, P.M. (2009). Rangeland degradation is poised to cause Africa’s first recorded avian extinction. Animal Conservation, 12: 249–257. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00246.x
  9. 1 2 Borghesio, L., & Giannetti, F. (2005). Habitat degradation threatens the survival of the Ethiopian bush crow Zavattariornis stresemanni. Oryx,39(1): 44–49. doi: 10.1017/S0030605305000086
  10. ↑ Bladon, Andrew J.; Donald, Paul F.; Collar, Nigel J.; Denge, Jarso; Dadacha, Galgalo; Wondafrash, Mengistu; Green, Rhys E. (2021-05-19). "Climatic change and extinction risk of two globally threatened Ethiopian endemic bird species". PLOS ONE. 16 (5): e0249633. Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1649633B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249633 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   8133463 . PMID   34010302.
  11. ↑ Angassa, A. & Oba, G. (2013). Cattle herd vulnerability to rainfall variability: responses to two management scenarios in southern Ethiopia. Tropical Animal Health and Production,45(3): 715-721. doi: 10.1007/s11250-012-0279-x
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.