Blue-and-white Swallow
Encyclopedia
The Blue-and-white Swallow (Notiochelidon cyanoleuca) is a passerine
bird
that breeds from Nicaragua
south throughout South America
, except in the deserts and the Amazon Basin
. The southern race is migratory
, wintering as far north as Trinidad
, where it is a regular visitor. The nominate northern race may have bred on that island.
Sometimes placed in the genus
Pygochelidon, it was first formally described as Hirundo cyanoleuca by French
ornithologist Louis Vieillot
in 1817, based on a specimen he believed to be from Paraguay
. The scientific names mean the same as the English common name.
There are three subspecies
. The nominate N. c. cyanoleuca occurs from Nicaragua and Trinidad south to northwestern Argentina
, Paraguay
and Uruguay
. The migratory southern race N. c. patagonica is larger (13.5 cm), has paler underwings, and white basal undertail coverts. N. c. peruviana is restricted to coastal Peru
up to 2500 m altitude. It is smaller than patagonica, has less white in the undertail, darker underwings and duskier flanks.
of open areas including villages and towns, farms, and forest clearings. In Central America
it is a highland bird, but elsewhere in its range it can occur from the lowlands to an altitude of 4000 m.
This species is often found in small flocks when not breeding. The Blue-and-white Swallow subsists primarily on a diet of insect
s, caught in the air; they have been seen to gather where termite
s swarm. The flight is typically fluttery, and this swallow frequently perches on wires or branches.
The Blue-and-white Swallow's shallow straw nest is built by both adults in a wide range of natural or man-made cavities include tree holes, rock crevices and bridges. The clutch is up to six white eggs in the south of the range, two or three in the north, which are incubated by both parents for 15 days to hatching. The nestlings are fed by both parents for 26 days to fledging, bur return to the nest to sleep with the parents for up to two months. There may be two broods.
This common and popular species has benefited greatly from deforestration and human settlement which have increased the amount of suitable habitat and food that helps the bird greatly. Consequently, it is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
that breeds from Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
south throughout South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, except in the deserts and the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
. The southern race is migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, wintering as far north as Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, where it is a regular visitor. The nominate northern race may have bred on that island.
Sometimes placed in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Pygochelidon, it was first formally described as Hirundo cyanoleuca by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ornithologist Louis Vieillot
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot
Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot was a French ornithologist.Vieillot described a large number of birds for the first time, especially those he encountered during the time he spent in the West Indies and North America, and 26 genera established by him are still in use...
in 1817, based on a specimen he believed to be from Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. The scientific names mean the same as the English common name.
Description
The adult Blue-and-white Swallow averages 11–12 cm long and weighs about 10g. It has dark blue upperparts and white underparts, and its underwings and the undersurface of its short forked tail are blackish. The juvenile is brown above, buff-tinted below, and has a less forked tail. The call is a buzzing dzzzhreeee.There are three subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
. The nominate N. c. cyanoleuca occurs from Nicaragua and Trinidad south to northwestern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. The migratory southern race N. c. patagonica is larger (13.5 cm), has paler underwings, and white basal undertail coverts. N. c. peruviana is restricted to coastal Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
up to 2500 m altitude. It is smaller than patagonica, has less white in the undertail, darker underwings and duskier flanks.
Ecology
This is a swallowSwallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
of open areas including villages and towns, farms, and forest clearings. In Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
it is a highland bird, but elsewhere in its range it can occur from the lowlands to an altitude of 4000 m.
This species is often found in small flocks when not breeding. The Blue-and-white Swallow subsists primarily on a diet of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, caught in the air; they have been seen to gather where termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
s swarm. The flight is typically fluttery, and this swallow frequently perches on wires or branches.
The Blue-and-white Swallow's shallow straw nest is built by both adults in a wide range of natural or man-made cavities include tree holes, rock crevices and bridges. The clutch is up to six white eggs in the south of the range, two or three in the north, which are incubated by both parents for 15 days to hatching. The nestlings are fed by both parents for 26 days to fledging, bur return to the nest to sleep with the parents for up to two months. There may be two broods.
This common and popular species has benefited greatly from deforestration and human settlement which have increased the amount of suitable habitat and food that helps the bird greatly. Consequently, it is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
External links
- Blue-and-white Swallow videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection