Petrochelidon is a genus of birds known as cliff-nesting swallows. The genus name Petrochelidon is from the Greek words petra, "rock", and khelidon, "swallow".[2]

Petrochelidon
An American cliff swallow starting to build a mud nest under the eaves of a building in California
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Genus: Petrochelidon
Cabanis, 1851
Type species
Hirundo melanogaster[1]
Swainson, 1827
Species

10, See text

The genus includes all of the five species of birds commonly called cliff swallow, and contains the following species:

Species in taxonomic order

edit

The genus contains ten species:[3]

Image Common name Scientific name Distribution
  American cliff swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Canada and the United States of America, South American countries, such as Southern Brazil, Uruguay, and parts of Argentina.
  Cave swallow Petrochelidon fulva south-eastern New Mexico, Texas, Florida, the Greater Antilles, portions of southern Mexico, and along the west coast of South America.
  Chestnut-collared swallow Petrochelidon rufocollaris Ecuador and Peru.
  Preuss's cliff swallow Petrochelidon preussi Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
  Red-throated cliff swallow Petrochelidon rufigula Angola, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Gabon, and Zambia.
Red Sea cliff swallow Petrochelidon perdita Sudan.
  South African cliff swallow Petrochelidon spilodera Botswana, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
  Streak-throated swallow Petrochelidon fluvicola Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.
  Fairy martin Petrochelidon ariel Australia, with some birds reaching New Guinea and Indonesia.
  Tree martin Petrochelidon nigricans Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia east of the Wallace Line and the Solomon Islands.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Hirundinidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  2. ^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 300. ISBN 978-1408125014.
  3. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Swallows". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
edit