Striated Swallow
Encyclopedia
The Striated Swallow is a species of swallow
found in open, often hilly areas, clearings and cultivation in South
and Southeast Asia
from northeastern India
and Taiwan
south to Timor
. It is sometimes placed in the genus Cecropis (sometimes inaccurately seen as Cecropsis) as Cecropis striolata.
Striated Swallow was formerly sometimes considered to a subspecies of Red-rumped Swallow
.
There are five races
The contact call is pin, the alarm is chi-chi-chi, and the song is a soft twittering.
This species, particularly subspecies mayri is very similar to Red-rumped Swallow of the race japonicus, but is larger, more heavily streaked, and has a less distinct neck collar.
which move south in the winter.
Nests are constructed in natural caves, but very often in artificial sites on bridges, in culverts and on buildings.
. It will feed with other swallow species.
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
found in open, often hilly areas, clearings and cultivation in South
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
from northeastern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
south to Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
. It is sometimes placed in the genus Cecropis (sometimes inaccurately seen as Cecropsis) as Cecropis striolata.
Striated Swallow was formerly sometimes considered to a subspecies of 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...
.
Description
Striated Swallow is 19 cm long with a deeply forked tail. It has blue upperparts other than a reddish collar (sometimes absent) and streaked chestnut rump. The face and underparts are white with heavy dark streaking. The wing are brown. The sexes are alike but juveniles are duller and browner, with a paler rump and shorter outer tail feathers.There are five races
- H. s. striolata breeds in Taiwan, The PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. - H. s. mayri breeds from northeastern India to northwestern MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
. It has broader streaks than nominate striolata. - H. s. stanfordi breeds from northeastern Myanmar to northern ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It has broad streaks. - H. s. vernayi breeds locally in western Thailand. It is more rufous below than the nominate race, and is only faintly streaked on the rump.
- H. s. badia breeds on the Malay PeninsulaMalay PeninsulaThe Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
. It has faintly streaked deep rufous underparts, and an unstreaked rump. It is sometimes raised to species status as the Rufous-bellied Swallow, Hirundo badia or Cecropis badia.
The contact call is pin, the alarm is chi-chi-chi, and the song is a soft twittering.
This species, particularly subspecies mayri is very similar to Red-rumped Swallow of the race japonicus, but is larger, more heavily streaked, and has a less distinct neck collar.
Migration
The island subspecies and badia are essentially resident, but the continental races mayri and stanfordi are partial migrantsBird 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...
which move south in the winter.
Breeding
The Striated Swallow breeds from April to July alone or semi-colonially with scattered nests. The nest is a retort or bottle shaped structure, made from mud pellets and lined with dried grasses and feathers. The clutch is usually four, sometimes five, white eggs except for badia, where two eggs is normal. Both sexes build the nest, and share incubation and the care of the young.Nests are constructed in natural caves, but very often in artificial sites on bridges, in culverts and on buildings.
Feeding
The Striated Swallow feeds low over the ground or at cliff faces on flying insects. It has a slow buoyant flight compared to Barn SwallowBarn 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...
. It will feed with other swallow species.