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Black Saw-wing - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 15:17, 14 February 2009 by Wintibird (talk | contribs)
Photo by nkgray
Phongolo Bush Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Photo by Alan Manson
Cedara Farm, KwaZulu-Natal
Psalidoprocne pristoptera

Includes Petit's, Shari, Blue, Brown, Ethiopian, Mangbettu and Eastern Sawwing

Identification

Length 17 cm, mass 11-13 g.

Adult: Plumage black with greenish gloss (head, body and lesser and median upper coverts) to blackish brown (flight feathers and greater wing coverts). The bill is black, the eyes dark brown, and the legs and feet are purplish.

Distribution

Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia in the north to eastern and southern South Africa in the south.

Taxonomy

12 subspecies accepted which are sometimes split in no fewer than 7 species:

Habitat

Forest fringes, often near wetlands; also fringes of closed woodland.

Behaviour

Forages for aerial arthropods while flying fairly slowly in clearings and between trees.

Breeding: Monogamous. Nests in a burrow excavated in a soil bank that may be as low as 45 cm. One to three eggs are laid September to March.

References

Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533

Lepage D. 2007. Avibase. Search for "Black Sawwing" downloaded March 2008.

External Links

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