From Opus

Photo by petersheikhli

Stelgidopteryx ruficollis

[edit] Identification

13.5 cm. Brown above, black wings and tail and a pale grey rump. Rufous or cinnamon throat and upper breast, yellow white lower underparts. The tail is slightly forked.

Rough-winged refers to the serrated edge of the outer primary feathers on the wing of this bird.

[edit] Similar species

It is similar in appearance to its northern counterpart, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow which is more uniform in colour, particularly on the rump but also throat.

[edit] Distribution

From Honduras through Central and South America to Trinidad, Peru, northern Argentina, and Uruguay (but not Chile).

[edit] Taxonomy

Four subspecies are recognized: ruficollis, aequalis, decolor, and uropygialis.

[edit] Habitat

Open areas and forest clearings.

[edit] Behaviour

It nests in cavities such as holes in banks or walls, or disused kingfisher and jacamar nests. These cavities are lined with grass, 3-6 white eggs are laid, and incubated by the female for 16-18 days and with another 13 days to fledging.

The diet includes insects which are taken in flight.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. Ridgely & Gwynne 1989. Birds of Panama. Princeton Paperbacks. ISBN 0691025126

• List of references

[edit] External Links