Hirundo
Encyclopedia
The bird
genus
Hirundo is a group of passerine
s in the family Hirundinidae (swallows and martins). These are the typical swallows, including the widespread Barn Swallow
. Many of this group have blue backs, red on the face and sometimes the rump or nape, and whitish or rufous
underparts. With fourteen species this genus is the largest in its family.
All of the species are found in the Old World
, although one, the Barn Swallow, is cosmopolitan
, also occurring in the Americas.
Genetic evidence has recently shown that many of the species previously included in Hirundo are less closely related than their appearance might suggest; these species are sometimes treated in the separate genera Cecropis
(e.g. Red-rumped Swallow
Cecropis daurica, previously Hirundo daurica) and Petrochelidon
(e.g. Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, previously Hirundo pyrrhonota); they are as distinct from typical Hirundo as the House Martin
s in the genus Delichon
.
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...
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...
Hirundo is a group of passerine
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...
s in the family Hirundinidae (swallows and martins). These are the typical swallows, including the widespread Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow
The Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas...
. Many of this group have blue backs, red on the face and sometimes the rump or nape, and whitish or rufous
Rufous
Rufous is a colour that may be described as reddish-brown or brownish-red, as of rust or oxidised iron.The first recorded use of rufous as a colour name in English was in the year 1782....
underparts. With fourteen species this genus is the largest in its family.
All of the species are found in the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
, although one, the Barn Swallow, is cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
, also occurring in the Americas.
Genetic evidence has recently shown that many of the species previously included in Hirundo are less closely related than their appearance might suggest; these species are sometimes treated in the separate genera Cecropis
Cecropis
Cecropis is a genus of large swallows found in Africa and tropical Asia. The Red-rumped Swallow's range also extends into southern Europe. This genus is frequently subsumed into the larger genus Hirundo.The species are:...
(e.g. Red-rumped Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
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 and tropical Africa. The Indian and African birds are resident, but European and other Asian birds are migratory...
Cecropis daurica, previously Hirundo daurica) and Petrochelidon
Petrochelidon
Petrochelidon is a genus of birds known as cliff-nesting swallows.It contains the following species:-Species in taxonomic order:* Red-throated Cliff Swallow * Preuss's Cliff Swallow...
(e.g. Cliff Swallow
Cliff Swallow
The Cliff Swallow is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae — the swallows and martins.It breeds in North America, and is migratory, wintering in western South America from Venezuela southwards to northeast Argentina...
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, previously Hirundo pyrrhonota); they are as distinct from typical Hirundo as the House Martin
House Martin
The Common House Martin , sometimes called the Northern House Martin or, particularly in Europe, just House Martin, is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and temperate Asia; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia...
s in the genus Delichon
Delichon
Delichon is a small genus of passerine birds that belongs to the swallow family and contains three species named as house martins. These are chunky, bull-headed and short-tailed birds, blackish-blue above with a contrasting white rump, and with white or grey underparts. They have feathering on the...
.
Species
- Barn SwallowBarn SwallowThe Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas...
Hirundo rustica - Red-chested SwallowRed-chested SwallowThe Red-chested Swallow is a small non-migratory passerine bird found in Africa in West Africa, the Congo basin and Ethiopia. It has a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings....
Hirundo lucida - Angolan Swallow Hirundo angolensis
- Pacific SwallowPacific SwallowThe Pacific Swallow or Hill Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in tropical southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka across to south east Asia and the islands of the south Pacific. It is resident apart from some local seasonal movements...
Hirundo tahitica - Welcome SwallowWelcome SwallowThe Welcome Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.It is a species native to Australia and nearby islands, but not until recently to New Zealand, which has been colonised in the last half century...
Hirundo neoxena - White-throated SwallowWhite-throated SwallowThe White-throated Swallow is a small bird in the swallow family. It is a common species, found in southern Africa, which has benefited from the increased nesting opportunities presented by the construction of bridges and dams....
Hirundo albigularis - Ethiopian SwallowEthiopian SwallowThe Ethiopian Swallow is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family.It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Israel, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan,...
Hirundo aethiopica - Wire-tailed SwallowWire-tailed SwallowThe Wire-tailed Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. Swallows are somewhat similar in habits and appearance to other aerial insectivores, such as the related martins and the unrelated swifts ....
Hirundo smithii - White-throated Blue SwallowWhite-throated Blue SwallowThe White-bibbed Swallow , also known as the White-throated Blue Swallow, is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family...
Hirundo nigrita - Pied-winged SwallowPied-winged SwallowThe Pied-winged Swallow is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family.It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo....
Hirundo leucosoma - White-tailed SwallowWhite-tailed SwallowThe White-tailed Swallow is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family.It is endemic to Ethiopia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.It is threatened by habitat loss....
Hirundo megaensis - Pearl-breasted SwallowPearl-breasted SwallowThe Pearl-breasted Swallow is a small swallow. It breeds in southern Africa from Angola, southern Zaire and Tanzania southwards. It is partially migratory with many birds from the south west of South Africa wintering further north....
Hirundo dimidiata - Blue SwallowBlue Swallow (bird)The Blue Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. Swallows are somewhat similar in habits and appearance to other aerial insectivores, such as the related martins and the unrelated swifts...
Hirundo atrocaerulea - Black-and-rufous SwallowBlack-and-rufous SwallowThe Black-and-rufous Swallow is a species of bird in the Hirundinidae family.It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 26 July 2007....
Hirundo nigrorufa