White-tailed Swallow

The White-tailed Swallow or Benson Swallow ( Hirundo megaensis ), is a species of bird in the family of swallows ( Hirundinidae ). It occurs in Ethiopia, where it is sedentary.

Features

The White-tailed Swallow reached a size of 13 centimeters and a weight of 11 grams. The males have a glossy steel-blue top. The wings are black with a bluish tinge. The tail is slightly forked. The inner tail feathers are white with black shaft streaks, the outer tail feathers are white on the inner webs. The throat and the underside are white. From their closest relatives, the Fahl Kehl Swallow ( Hirundo aethiopica ), the White-tailed Swallow is distinguished by the bluish (not reddish ) forehead, by the shorter, whiter tail and by the whiter throat and the lack of a chest strap. The females of the White-tailed Swallow are less shiny and white colored than the males and have a shorter tail. The juvenile birds are duller colored with lighter seams on the hand and arm swing on the screen springs to the upper tail-coverts and tail feathers. The White-tailed Swallow has a shrill, chirping call.

Area of ​​distribution and habitat

The White-tailed Swallow is found in the regions Yabelo and mega as well as in the province of Sidamo in southern Ethiopia. It prefers open, semi-arid, dominated by acacia grassland, acacia woodland and villages as living space. It occurs mainly at altitudes 1500-1700 meters. Occasionally they can also be observed at 990 meters or at an altitude up to 2400 meters.

Way of life

The White-tailed Swallow goes around flowering trees in search of food and flies around with fast and elegant wing beats. The diet consists of insects, especially of beetles. The breeding season is in the main rainy season from April to May The nest is cup-shaped open and is usually built on roof pillars of village huts, but also to well walls, termite mounds and culverts. The nest consists of three to four eggs.

Status

The White-tailed Swallow is threatened by the conversion of acacia scrubland to pasture and agricultural land. While the stock was still considered stable in the 1980s, it is now estimated by BirdLife International on 2500-10000 copies. In 1986, the region was declared as Yabelo the game reserve in order to better protect the White-tailed Swallow and the highly endangered Zavattarivogel ( Zavattariornis stresemanni ).