Animalia Life
Psalidoprocne nitens
SUBFAMILY
Hirundinae
TAXONOMY
Atticora nitens Cassin, 1857.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Square-tailed saw-winged swallow; French: Hirondelle
а queue courte; German: Glanzschwalbe; Spanish: Alas de
Sierra de Cola Cuadrada.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
4 in (11 cm). The body is overall colored glossy dark-brown
and black, with sheens of green and purplish and a squared
back of the tail. Males have a distinctive, hook-like thickening
of the outer vane of the first primary, which may play a role in
mating or a means of clinging to a vertical wall.
DISTRIBUTION
Central and western tropical Africa.
HABITAT
Occurs in open areas within tropical forested habitats, generally
near water.
BEHAVIOR
A non-migratory species that uses aerial display and a relatively
faint song to defend a breeding site and attract a mate.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on flying insects, which are caught on the wing.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Monogamous. Nests in a tunnel dug into a sandy bank. The
clutch size is two eggs.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. A locally abundant species.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Not of much importance to humans, other than the indirect
economic benefits of ecotourism focused on birding.
Photo Gallery of - Square-tailed saw-wing
