Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae)
Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) - HBW 9, p. 668
French: Hirondelle à longs brins
German: Rotkappenschwalbe
Spanish: Golondrina Colilarga
Other common names: African Wire-tailed Swallow (smithii); Asian Wire-tailed Swallow (filifera)
Taxonomy: Hirundo Smithii Leach, 1818, Chisalla Island, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sometimes considered to form a superspecies with H. nigrita, but substantial plumage and other morphological differences, combined with extent of range overlap in Africa (Congo Basin), make this unlikely. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- smithii Leach, 1818 - sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal, S Mali and C Ivory Coast E to C & S Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, and S (outside C rainforest zone) to N Namibia, N Botswana and NE South Africa.
- filifera Stephens, 1826 - S Uzbekistan, S Tadjikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, SW Nepal, Myanmar, N Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and C Vietnam.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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An adult male perched on an electric wire, preening and stretching wings and tail. Locality Dasada, Surendranagar District, Gujarat, India (ssp filifera)
Josep del Hoyo 18 February 2011 1 year ago 22 sec 4.6 -
Frontal view of an adult female preening on a wire. Locality Dasada, Surendranagar District, Gujarat, India (ssp filifera)
Josep del Hoyo 18 February 2011 1 year ago 24 sec 4.5 -
An adult male preening on an electric wire. Locality Dasada, Surendranagar District, Gujarat, India (ssp filifera)
Josep del Hoyo 18 February 2011 1 year ago 23 sec 4.3 -
An individual perched on the railings of a travelling boat and briefly singing Locality Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe (ssp smithii)
Greg Baker 14 September 1999 1 year ago 38 sec 4.3 -
A juvenile bird preening on a wire. Locality Dasada, Surendranagar District, Gujarat, India (ssp filifera)
Josep del Hoyo 18 February 2011 1 year ago 23 sec 4 -
Two birds on a wire, one flies away. Locality Afar Plains, Afar Region, Ethiopia (ssp smithii)
Josep del Hoyo 27 November 2005 7 years ago 29 sec 3.9
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A juvenile near water.
Locality Pune Division, Maharashtra, India (ssp filifera)
anup sharma 18 December 2010 2 years ago 4.5 -
This female was busy in building a new nest .
Locality Yavatmal, Yavatmal District, Maharashtra, India
Jayant Atrey 25 February 2013 11 weeks ago 4.3 -
Perched on a branch just above the lake.
Locality Lake Naivasha, Kenya (ssp smithii)
Nick Athanas 1 September 2012 21 weeks ago 4.3 -
A bird resting on a bridge over the Luvuvhu River, Pafuri Camp.
Locality South Africa
Dave Jackson 15 March 2010 3 years ago 4.3 -
Adult
Locality Kotu Creek, Kotu, Banjul, The Gambia (ssp smithii)
Paul Cools 6 February 2012 28 weeks ago 4.2 -
Wire-tailed swallow basking in the sun on a canal culvert.
Locality Mysore District, Karnataka, India (ssp filifera)
Ragoorao 31 August 2010 1 year ago 4
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Calling in morning on a wire Locality Jaipur District, Rajasthan, India
(ssp filifera)
RAM GOPAL SONI 13 February 2010 3 years ago 4
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