The saw-wings, Psalidoprocne, is a small 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...

 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...

 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...

s in the swallow

Swallow

The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...

 family. The common name

Common name

A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...

 of this group is derived from the rough outer edge of the outer primary feather

Feather

Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...

 on the wing, which is rough due to recurved barbs. The function of this is unknown. The birds are 11–17 cm long and black or black-and-white in colour. The genus has an Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

n distribution

Range (biology)

In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...

 and all species can be found foraging over forest and woodland.

Species list

There are at least five species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of saw-wing. The Black Saw-wing has a large number of 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...

 and many of these are sometimes considered to be separate species. The species, in taxonomic order, are:

• Square-tailed Saw-wing Psalidoprocne nitens
• Mountain Saw-wing Psalidoprocne fuliginosa
• White-headed Saw-wing Psalidoprocne albiceps
• Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne pristoptera
  • Shari Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) chalybdea
  • Petit's Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) petiti
  • Mangbettu Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) mangbettorum
  • Ethiopian Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) oleaginea
  • Blue Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) pristoptera
  • Brown Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) antinorii
  • Blanford's Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) blanfordi
  • Eastern Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) orientalis
    • Includes the race reichenowi
  • Black Saw-wing Psalidoprocne (pristoptera) holomelas
    • Includes races massaica and ruwenzori
• Fanti Saw-wing Psalidoprocne obscura