Pseudhirundo griseopyga
The Grey-rumped Swallow, *Pseudhirundo griseopyga*, is a slender, aerial insectivore native to sub-Saharan Africa, instantly recognizable by its eponymous pale grey rump contrasting sharply with dark upperparts. Averaging 12-14 cm in length and weighing 10-15 grams, its plumage features sooty-brown upperparts, a distinct pale grey lower back and rump, and clean white underparts with dark underwing coverts. This monotypic species, the sole member of its genus, belongs to the Hirundinidae famil...
This species favors open grassy habitats, savannas, and cultivated lands, often in proximity to rivers, lakes, or swamps. It generally occurs at low to moderate elevations, rarely found in dense forests or arid deserts.
The Grey-rumped Swallow feeds almost exclusively on small, soft-bodied flying insects, including flies, ants, beetles, and small moths, captured during continuous aerial foraging.
Grey-rumped Swallows are diurnal, spending their days hawking for insects in graceful, agile flight. Outside the breeding season, they often form small, loose flocks, occasionally joining mixed-species foraging groups, and may roost communally in reedbeds or sparse bushes. Their foraging strategy...
The Grey-rumped Swallow boasts a widespread yet somewhat disjunct distribution across sub-Saharan Africa, encompassing a vast range from Senegal and Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, eastwards through the Sahel zone to Ethiopia and Somalia, and southwards through Central Africa to Angola, northern Bo...
Least Concern
- The Grey-rumped Swallow is the sole member of its genus, *Pseudhirundo*, making it a unique evolutionary lineage within the swallow family. - Unlike most swallows that build mud nests or use tree cavities, this species primarily nests in burrows excavated in sandy banks or even flat ground, a r...