Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae)

Banded Martin (Riparia cincta) - HBW 9, p. 649

French: Hirondelle à collier German: Weißbrauen-Uferschwalbe Spanish: Avión Cinchado
Other common names: Banded Sand Martin

Taxonomy: Hirundo Cincta Boddaert, 1783, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.
Relationship to others in genus not clear; has sometimes been placed in a monotypic genus Neophedina on basis of its large size, bill and nostril shapes, loral bristles, squarer tail and more solitary lifestyle. Initial DNA-DNA hybridization studies also did not support a close relationship, but cytochrome b data suggest that this species and R. riparia are sister-taxa. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

erlangeri Reichenow, 1905 - Ethiopia.
suahelica van Someren, 1922 - S Sudan, E & SE DRCongo, Uganda, W Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, NW & S Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, N Zimbabwe and W Mozambique.
parvula Amadon, 1954 - N Angola (N Bengo E to Lunda Norte), SW DRCongo and NW Zambia, possibly also S Gabon and S PRCongo; migrates N at least to Cameroon.

See all 5 subspecies

erlangeri Reichenow, 1905 - Ethiopia.
suahelica van Someren, 1922 - S Sudan, E & SE DRCongo, Uganda, W Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, NW & S Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, N Zimbabwe and W Mozambique.
parvula Amadon, 1954 - N Angola (N Bengo E to Lunda Norte), SW DRCongo and NW Zambia, possibly also S Gabon and S PRCongo; migrates N at least to Cameroon.
xerica Clancey & Irwin, 1966 - W & S Angola (Cabinda, and S Bengo and Luanda E to S Lunda Sul and Moxico and S to Huíla), N Namibia and N Botswana, possibly also NW Zimbabwe.
cincta (Boddaert, 1783) - S Zimbabwe, SE Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland; migrates N at least to Angola and DRCongo.