Red-breasted Swallow (Cecropis semirufa) [XC339013]
by Peter Boesman from North of Kawambwa, Luapula province, Zambia (call, song, song and call)
Red-breasted Swallow (Cecropis semirufa) [XC398315]
by Dries Van de Loock from Enashipai, Karagita, Nakuru County, Kenya (song)
Subspecies
Genus often merged with Hirundo, but DNA studies support retention of separate taxa. Forms a species group with Mosque Swallow (Cecropis senegalensis). Individuals in southern part of range of gordoni proposed as separate subspecies neumanni. Further study is needed. Nominate varies clinally in tail length in south-west, longest in south.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
gordoni (Jardine, 1852) - Senegambia and Sierra Leone east to central-western and southern Sudan, Uganda, south-western Kenya, extreme north-western and northern Tanzania and Rwanda, south to northern Angola and central DRCongo.
semirufa (Sundevall, 1850) - South-western, central and eastern Angola, and from southern DRCongo, Zambia and western Malawi south to northern Namibia, northern and eastern Botswana, north-eastern South Africa and Swaziland.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet