Red-rumped Swallow

Hirundo daurica

Other Names

  Striated Swallow, Lesser Striated Swallow   Hirondelle rousseline   Rötelschwalbe   Golondrina Dáurica   Rostgumpsvala   Roodstuitzwaluw   Rondine rossiccia

World: Mediterranean Europe, Asia and Africa.

Kenya: Mostly above 1200m in the South and South-West. In drier country in the northern half of Kenya restricted to moist highland areas.

Mostly resident, although seasonal in some areas, the Red-rumped Swallow is usually seen in small groups over grassland, often near rock outcrops or human habitation. Similar in appearance to the Mosque Swallow and the Rufous-chested Swallow, the former is larger than the Red-rumped with white under the wing while the latter has no red colour on the face and the blue comes down below the eye. Both the Mosque Swallow and the Rufous-chested are reddish rather than blackish under the tail.