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Lesser Striped Swallow
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[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Lesser Striped Swallow
A medium-sized swallow with a pale orange-brown cap; and a broadly streaked breast and belly. Size 15-17 cm - about the size of a Cape Sparrow. Afrikaans: Kleinstreepswael
The bill is short and slender, and it has a very wide gape. The bill is black and the legs and feet are brown. This species has an orange-brown cap, which extends onto the ear-coverts. The orange-brown areas are a richer colour than those on the Greater Striped Swallow. The rump is also orange-brown and the rest of the upperparts are dark glossy blue-black.
The underparts are creamy white, with bold, black streaking on the underparts. The streaking is much more heavy and bold than that of the Greater Striped Swallow. The streaking extends from the chin to the breast and flanks. The outer tail feathers are quite long and dark, and the undertail area is whitish.
The Lesser Striped Swallow is a common summer migrant to the warmer areas of the region. It is usually seen in pairs or small groups, and is most often seen close to the nest sites on a house or culvert, or some other man-made structure.
The Lesser Striped Swallow eats mainly aerial insects, but also some seeds.
The call is a loud squeaky nasal song of 9-10 notes, chip chip chwip, kreek, kreek, kreek, chwip.
The Lesser Striped Swallow breeds from July to April, and usually raises two broods per season. The nest is an enclosed bowl, suspended on the underside of a horizontal surface such as a fallen tree, roof of verandah, culvert or bridge. The nest has a long entrance tunnel and is built entirely from mud pellets and lined with grass and other fine material. |
zulfu, uleko, JRushen has marked this note useful Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes. |
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mooie foto zeg! Ik heb deze zelf helaas niet gezien in Zuid Africa. alleen jammer van het puntje van zijn/haar staart
gr
Jeroen
- zulfu
(43) - [2009-08-25 9:34]
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Lovely pose:) i liked so much.
TFS and G's,
Mehmet
- uleko
(10940) - [2009-08-25 10:04]
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Hello Vivian,
Great capture of a very 'different' Swallow!! I love its colours and the speckled plumage.
Great sharpness and a beautiful background.
Very well done!
TFS and best wishes, Ulla
- PeterZ
(49139) - [2009-08-25 10:42]
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Hallo Vivian,
Mooie foto van deze zwaluw. Ik heb er nog niet veel goede foto's van gezien. Het bijzondere aan deze is dat hij zo dichtbij genomen is. Goede compositie en oog-contact.
Groet,
Peter
Hi Viv,
a excellent picture of this beautiful swallow. Seem as if it was looking up toward something?
regards
Pierre