Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Uruguay (B), USA, Venezuela.
Vagrant to Chile, Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Brown-chested Martin (Progne tapera) [XC47466]
by Carlos Ferrari from Buenos Aires: Gral Lavalle, Argentina (call, calls from perch and in flight)
Brown-chested Martin (Progne tapera) [XC22524]
by Bernabe Lopez-Lanus from Eldorado, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil (song)
Subspecies
Has been placed in a separate genus Phaeoprogne because of lack of blue in plumage, similarity of sexes, slender bill, weaker feet, less deeply forked tail and greater feathering on tarsus. However, DNA-DNA hybridization and cytochrome b data indicate close relationship with present genus.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
tapera (Linnaeus, 1766) - Northern South America from Caribbean coast and Trinidad south, east of Andes, to Amazonian and north-eastern Brazil, also west of Andes in south-western Ecuador (southern from Guayas) and north-western Peru (Tumbes).
fusca (Vieillot, 1817) - Breeds south-eastern Bolivia and southern and eastern Brazil south to central Argentina (Mendoza, La Pampa, Buenos Aires) and Uruguay; migrates north to northern South America and Panama.