Bird
Lesser Striped Swallow
Cecropis abyssinicaAlso known as Striped Swallow
Lesser striped swallows carve through open skies with fluid, buoyant swoops, snapping up swarms of flying ants and midges on the wing. Pairs work together over several weeks to sculpt retort-shaped mud nests featuring elongated entrance tunnels, plastering hundreds of wet mud pellets beneath cliff faces, culverts, and building eaves. Their bubbly, squeaky twittering frequently echoes around human settlements, where they have readily adapted to artificial structures for breeding.
InsectivorousAerial AcrobatMigratory
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyWinged Termites, Flying Ants, Mayflies
Predators
- African Hobby
- Barn Owl
- Boomslang
ThreatsNest destruction, pesticide exposure, and competition for nest sites from swifts
HabitatsSavanna, open woodland, grassland, river valleys, and urban environments
Life span4–8 years
Classification
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyHirundinidae
- GenusCecropis
- SpeciesCecropis abyssinica
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Look up at overhangs: Scan under bridge spans and concrete building eaves to spot their tubular mud retort nests.
- Listen for squeaks: Tune in to high-pitched, metallic twittering overhead while walking through open grassy country or suburbs.
Competitor (c) Christiaan Viljoen, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christiaan Viljoen · cc-by
Predator Aviceda / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Dan Mendelowitz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Dan Mendelowitz · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved · cc0
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Backyard Birds
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