Fanti Rough-winged Swallow
|
|
| Fanti Rough-winged Swallow | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Psalidoprocne obscura (Hartlaub,, 1855) |
The Fanti Rough-winged Swallow (Psalidoprocne obscura) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. Swallows are somewhat similar in habits and appearance to other aerial insectivores, such as the related martins and the unrelated swifts (order Apodiformes).
Fanti Rough-winged Swallow breeds in the lowlands of southern west Africa from Senegal to Cameroon. It is mainly resident, apart from seasonal movements.
This bird is found in open country, including light woodland, near water. Fanti Rough-winged Swallows are graceful flyers and they generally feed on insects, including beetles, while airborne. They are typically seen low over water or grassland.
The lined nests are built in a 60cm burrow in a vertical bank. The clutch is two eggs.
This is a small swallow at 17cm. Its plumage is glossy green. The tail is long and deeply forked. Sexes are similar, but the female has a shorter tail. Juveniles are brown with little gloss, and have short tails.
Reference
- Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1
- Swallows and Martins by Turner and Rose ISBN 0-7470-3205-5