Peru Bird Species XV: Blue-and-white Swallow

	Passeriformes
	Hirundinidae
	Pygochelidon
	From Nicaragua throughout South America
	Least Concern

Taxonomy

• Originally described as Hirundo cyanoleuca by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1817.

• Currently placed in the genus Pygochelidon.

• Pygochelidon cyanoleuca has three recognized subspecies:

  • P. c. cyanoleuca: Found from Nicaragua to northern Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

  • P. c. peruviana: Coastal Peru.

  • P. c. patagonica: Southern South America.

Description

• Length: Approximately 11 to 13.5 cm (4.3 to 5.3 inches).

• Weight: About 10 grams.

• Upperparts: Shiny dark blue.

• Underparts: Pure white.

• Undertail coverts: Black, sharply contrasting with the white belly.

• Subspecies differences:

  • P. c. patagonica is larger, with paler underparts and whiter undertail coverts.

  • P. c. peruviana is smaller, with darker flanks and less white beneath the tail.

Range and Habitat

• Found from Central America (Costa Rica and Nicaragua) throughout much of South America, including Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.

• Also recorded as a regular visitor to Trinidad and Tobago.

• Common in open and semi-open environments such as farmland, towns, villages, forest edges, and urban areas.

• Frequently perches on wires, fences, or bare branches.

• Occurs from sea level up to around 4,000 meters, depending on the region.

Behavior and Feeding

• Insectivorous, feeding mainly on flying insects caught in flight.

• Known for agile, somewhat erratic flight.

• Often forages in small groups, especially near swarms of flying insects like termites.

• Does not typically hover; catches prey while flying.

Breeding

• Nests in natural or artificial cavities: tree holes, rock crevices, bridges, buildings, etc.

• Nest is a shallow cup made of dry grass, lined with feathers.

• Clutch size varies by region: usually 2 to 3 eggs in the north, up to 6 in the south.

• Eggs are white and incubated for about 15 days.

• Young fledge about 26 days after hatching.

• May raise two broods per breeding season.

• Juveniles often return to the nest at night for several weeks after fledging.

Conservation Status

• Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

• Widespread and common throughout its range.

• Has benefited from deforestation and human expansion, which create suitable open habitats.

Source: Wikipedia

Photo: Holmes Pantoja @BHM