Congo [The Democratic Republic of the] (B) (NB), Kenya (NB), Malawi (B), Mozambique (B), South Africa (B), Swaziland (B), Tanzania [United Republic of] (B), Uganda (NB), Zambia (B), Zimbabwe (B).
Breeds south-eastern DRCongo, southern Tanzania, Malawi, north-eastern Zambia, eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent western Mozambique, eastern South Africa (Eastern province and KwaZulu-Natal) and western Swaziland; migrates north to north-eastern DRCongo, southern Uganda and extreme western Kenya.
Population
Estimated population is 2,000 (2010) and decreasing.
Status VU
Grassland loss to afforestation, intense human settlement, cultivation (especially sugarcane), intensive livestock-farming, intense grazing, intensive grass-burning, invasion by non-native trees and bracken and (potentially) small-scale mining is the main threat.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Voice
A 'chip' or 'chip-chip' uttered in contact. A musical 'bee-bee-bee-bee' uttered in nuptial flight display.
Blue Swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea) [XC364651]
by Peter Boesman from Chelinda Campground, Nyika National Park, Rumphi, Northern Region, Malawi (flight call)
Blue Swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea) [XC398060]
by id from Plains around Chelinda, Nyika NP, Malawi (call)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Sometimes considered to form a superspecies with Black-and-rufous Swallow (Hirundo nigrorufa), but morphological differences probably too great to justify such a treatment. Northern population, with plumage washed violet, sometimes separated as subspecies lynesi, but differences insignificant.
Similar Species
Black Sawwing (Psalidoprocne holomelas) which is matt black, not iridescent, with shorter, less deeply forked tail.
References
See References.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet