Striated Swallow

The Striated Swallow (Hirundo striolata) is a species of swallow found in open, often hilly areas, clearings and cultivation in South and Southeast Asia from northeastern India and Taiwan south to Timor. It is sometimes placed in the genus Cecropis (sometimes inaccurately seen as Cecropsis) as Cecropis striolata.

Striated Swallow was formerly sometimes considered to a subspecies of Red-rumped Swallow.

Description

Striated Swallow is 19 cm long with a deeply forked tail. It has blue upperparts other than a reddish collar (sometimes absent) and streaked chestnut rump. The face and underparts are white with heavy dark streaking. The wing are brown. The sexes are alike but juveniles are duller and browner, with a paler rump and shorter outer tail feathers.

There are five races

• H. s. striolata breeds in Taiwan, The Philippines and Indonesia.
• H. s. mayri breeds from northeastern India to northwestern Myanmar. It has broader streaks than nominate striolata.
• H. s. stanfordi breeds from northeastern Myanmar to northern Thailand. It has broad streaks.
• H. s. vernayi breeds locally in western Thailand. It is more rufous below than the nominate race, and is only faintly streaked on the rump.
• H. s. badia breeds on the Malay Peninsula. It has faintly streaked deep rufous underparts, and an unstreaked rump. It is sometimes raised to species status as the Rufous-bellied Swallow, Hirundo badia or Cecropis badia.

The contact call is pin, the alarm is chi-chi-chi, and the song is a soft twittering.

This species, particularly subspecies mayri is very similar to Red-rumped Swallow of the race japonicus, but is larger, more heavily streaked, and has a less distinct neck collar.

Migration

The island subspecies and badia are essentially resident, but the continental races mayri and stanfordi are partial migrants which move south in the winter.

Breeding

The Striated Swallow breeds from April to July alone or semi-colonially with scattered nests. The nest is a retort or bottle shaped structure, made from mud pellets and lined with dried grasses and feathers. The clutch is usually four, sometimes five, white eggs except for badia, where two eggs is normal. 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.

Feeding

The Striated Swallow feeds low over the ground or at cliff faces on flying insects. It has a slow buoyant flight compared to Barn Swallow. It will feed with other swallow species.

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Hirundo striolata. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 06 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Turner, Angela K; Chris Rose (1989). Swallows & martins : an identification guide and handbook. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-51174-7. 

• Robson Birds of Thailand ISBN 1843309211