Chestnut-collared Swallow - BirdForum Opus

Some swallows using old nests for roosting
Photo by Stanley Jones
Sozorango, Loja Province, Ecuador, November 2014

Petrochelidon rufocollaris

Includes Ecuadorian Swallow

Identification

12 cm

• Chestnut forehead, hind-neck and breast-band
• Glossy blue crown and back
• Whitish streaked mantle
• Chestnut rump

Distribution

South America: found in Ecuador and Peru.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• P. r. aequatorialis:

• Pacific lowland of southern Ecuador (Loja and Guayaquil)

• P. r. rufocollaris:

• Pacific lowland of northern and central Peru (south to Lima)

Aequatorialis is sometimes regarded as a full species Ecuadorian Swallow^[2].

Habitat

They are to be found around inhabited buildings, agricultural and urban areas. Observed at heights around 1,486 m.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of flying insects.

Breeding

They nest communally.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2015)
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chestnut-collared Swallow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-collared_Swallow

External Links

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