From Opus

Photo by Romy Ocon
Balete (Dalton) Pass, Nueva Vizcaya province, Philippines

Cecropis striolata

Hirundo striolata

[edit] Identification

19 cm. Deeply forked tail, blue upperparts, reddish collar (sometimes absent), streaked chestnut rump, white face and underparts with heavy dark streaking, brown wings. The sexes are alike but juveniles are duller and browner, with a paler rump and shorter outer tail feathers.

[edit] Distribution

Northeastern India, Taiwan south to Timor.

[edit] Taxonomy

Previously included in genus Hirundo.
There are four races:

• C. s. striolata breeds in Taiwan, The Philippines and Indonesia.
• C. s. mayri breeds from northeastern India to northwestern Myanmar. It has broader streaks than nominate striolata.
• C. s. stanfordi breeds from northeastern Myanmar to northern Thailand. It has broad streaks.
• C. s. vernayi breeds locally in western Thailand. It is more rufous below than the nominate race, and is only faintly streaked on the rump.

The former subspecies badia from the Malay Peninsula was split as Rufous-bellied Swallow from this species.

[edit] Habitat

Open areas, often near water and towns and particularly in hills or gorges associated with water.

[edit] Behaviour

The nest is bottle shaped, made from mud pellets and lined with dried grasses and feathers. 4-5 white eggs are laid. Both sexes build the nest, and share incubation and the care of the young.

Nests are constructed in natural caves, but very often in artificial sites on bridges, in culverts and on buildings.

The diet includes flying insects.

[edit] External Links