White-rumped swallow

The white-rumped swallow was first formally described as Hirundo leucorrhoa by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot in 1817. It has a white supraloral streak, a white streak above its eye, and black lores and ear coverts. This swallow is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, pastureland, and the edge of forests.

About White-rumped swallow in brief

Summary White-rumped swallowThe white-rumped swallow was first formally described as Hirundo leucorrhoa by French ornithologist Louis Vieillot in 1817. It has a white supraloral streak, a white streak above its eye, and black lores and ear coverts. The sexes are similar, and the juvenile is duller and browner with a dusky breast. This swallow is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, pastureland, the edge of forests, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. It is classified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Its population is increasing and it may benefit from the increase in availability of artificial nest sites. The shiny cowbird is an occasional brood parasite of the white- rumped swallow. This species is monotypic, with no known subspecies. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Chilean swallow, most likely due to the similarity in morphology and calls.

A study of the mitochondrial DNA of Tachycineta supports the split, although studies do show that the white and Chilean swallow form a superspecies, leucorhoa, with the Chilean swallows. The white swallow also seems to keep its glossy blue upperparts when not breeding, and can be differentiated by the fact that it is larger, in addition to the white rump, than its Chilean swallow. The female incubates the eggs over a period usually between 15 and 16 days. The eggs are fledging after usually between 21 and 25 days. It measures 13 centimetres in length and weighs 17–21 grams. It has an average wingspan of 115. 7 millimetres. It has black wings, with white tips on its inner secondaries, tertials, and greater wing-coverts, and white tips erode with age.