African Red-rumped Swallow
Cecropis melanocrissus
非洲金腰燕
Introduction
This small passerine swallow occurs across the north tropical regions of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It occupies open habitats including savannas, grasslands, and human-modified areas. The species was formerly classified within the red-rumped swallow complex (C. daurica) but has been separated as a distinct species based on morphological and genetic evidence. Four subspecies are recognized across West, Central, and East Africa. It nests in crevices and on buildings.
Distribution & Habitat
This species occupies north tropical Africa south of the Sahara. The four subspecies show distinct geographic patterns: C. m. domicella ranges from Senegambia through west Africa to east Sudan; C. m. melanocrissus is found in Ethiopia and Eritrea; C. m. kumboensis occurs in Sierra Leone and west Cameroon; and C. m. emini extends from southeast Sudan and Uganda through Kenya to Malawi and northern Zambia. The species typically inhabits open habitats including savannas, grasslands, and areas near human settlements.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Cecropis
Subspecies (4)
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Cecropis melanocrissus domicella
Senegambia and Guinea eastward to southwestern Sudan, South Sudan, and western Ethiopia
-
Cecropis melanocrissus emini
southeastern South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo southward through Uganda and Kenya to Malawi and northern Zambia
-
Cecropis melanocrissus kumboensis
Sierra Leone (Birwa Plateau) and Cameroon (Bamenda highlands)
-
Cecropis melanocrissus melanocrissus
highlands of Ethiopia
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.