The wire-tailed swallow (Hirundo smithii) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It has two subspecies: H. s. smithii, which occurs throughout Africa, and H. s. filifera, which is found in southern and southeastern Asia. It is mainly resident, but populations in Pakistan and northern India migrate further south in winter. The genus name Hirundo is the Latin word for swallow. The species name smithii commemorates Christen Smith, a Norwegian botanist and geologist.
Description
The wire-tailed swallow is a small swallow, measuring in length. It has bright blue upperparts, bright white underparts and a chestnut cap. Immature birds lack tail wires, and have dull brown (rather than chestnut) caps.
Cited texts
- Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp,
- Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley,
- Swallows and Martins by Turner and Rose,
External links
- Wire-tailed Swallow in The Atlas of Southern African Birds, second edition