Pearl-breasted swallow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pearl-breasted swallow |
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| at Botriver, South Africa | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Hirundinidae |
| Genus: | Hirundo |
| Species: |
H. dimidiata
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| Binomial name | |
| Hirundo dimidiata Sundevall, 1850
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The pearl-breasted swallow (scientific name: Hirundo dimidiata) is a small, quick bird. It's a type of swallow known for its pretty colors. These birds are found in parts of southern Africa.
Contents
What Does a Pearl-Breasted Swallow Look Like?
This swallow is about 13 to 14 centimeters (5 to 5.5 inches) long. Its back and top parts are a shiny blue color. Its belly and chest are a soft grey-white.
Wings and Tail
The top of its wings and its tail feathers are a dark blackish-blue. The feathers under its wings are a slightly darker grey-white. Unlike some other swallows, it does not have white on its tail. This helps you tell it apart from similar birds.
Male, Female, and Young Birds
Male pearl-breasted swallows have slightly longer outer tail feathers than females. Young birds, called juveniles, look a bit duller and browner than adult birds. Their outer tail feathers are also shorter.
Where Do Pearl-Breasted Swallows Live?
Pearl-breasted swallows live and breed in southern Africa. You can find them from Angola and southern Congo all the way south to Tanzania. They are not found everywhere, but in some places, there are many of them.
Migration and Habitat
Some of these birds are migratory. This means they fly to warmer places for winter. Many birds from southwest South Africa fly further north during the colder months. These swallows like dry areas with bushes, farms, and open spaces. They are often seen near human homes and buildings.
How Do Pearl-Breasted Swallows Behave?
Pearl-breasted swallows mostly eat flying insects. They fly very fast and straight when catching their food. Their call sounds like a chittering "chip cheree chip chip."
Reproduction and Nesting
Pearl-breasted swallows build their nests from mud. The nest is shaped like a bowl. They make it stronger with grass or hair and line it with soft material. Sometimes, they use old nests built by greater striped swallows. A nest can be used again for many years. One nest was even used for 30 years!
Nest Locations
They build their nests in natural spots like caves or holes. They also use human-made places such as buildings, tunnels under roads (culverts), and old mine shafts. However, they prefer quiet, empty buildings. Because of this, they haven't used new buildings as much as other swallows, like the greater or lesser striped swallows.
Eggs and Chicks
The female swallow lays two or three pure white eggs. She sits on the eggs to keep them warm for about 16 to 17 days until they hatch. Both parents then work together to feed the baby birds. The young birds are ready to fly after another 20 to 23 days. Even after their first flight, the young birds often come back to the nest to sleep for a few days.
Gallery
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Illustration by R. B. Sharpe (1894)
 | John T. Biggers |
 | Thomas Blackshear |
 | Mark Bradford |
 | Beverly Buchanan |
