Tawny-headed Swallow

Tawny-headed Swallow

Alopochelidon fucata

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Asuncion

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

45 Verified sightings at Asuncion
322 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Tawny-headed Swallow

The tawny-headed swallow (Alopochelidon fucata) is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Alopochelidon. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Falkland Islands, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, where its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.

The tawny-headed swallow was formally described as Hirundo fucata by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Temminck in 1822. The type locality is São Paulo in Brazil. The tawny-headed swallow is now the only species placed in the genus Alopochelidon that was introduced in 1903 by Robert Ridgway. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek alōpos meaning "fox-like" (alōpēx means "fox") with khelidōn meaning "swallow". The specific epithet is from Latin fucatus meaning "painted". Phylogenetic analysis has shown that tawny-headed swallow is most closely related to the swallows in the genus Orochelidon.

Although no subspecies of the tawny-headed swallow are recognised, it differs slightly depending on where it occurs. A tawny-headed swallow that occurs in the southern part of its range will usually... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:22

Argentina · 2022

© Franco Vushurovich · XC748007 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:22

Brazil · 2022

© Miguel Angelo Biz · XC723856 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:12

Brazil · 2019

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC506251 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
2 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
3 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
4 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
5 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Rosario 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
2 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
3 Asuncion 🇵🇾 Paraguay
<5%
4 Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tawny-headed Swallow in Asuncion?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny-headed Swallow sighting in Asuncion on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 134th most-seen of the 224 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tawny-headed Swallow in Asuncion?

August

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny-headed Swallow in Asuncion on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Asuncion's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 190 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see a Tawny-headed Swallow?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tawny-headed Swallow sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Asuncion the best place to see a Tawny-headed Swallow?

3rd of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Tawny-headed Swallow sightings, Asuncion ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Rosario (Argentina, about 10%) and Cordoba (Argentina, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Tawny-headed Swallow live in Asuncion?

Same family: Hirundinidae

The closest relatives of the Tawny-headed Swallow that you can see in Asuncion (family Hirundinidae, Swallows and Martins) are Gray-breasted Martin (about 30%) and Brown-chested Martin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Tawny-headed Swallow sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tawny-headed Swallow is recorded against all the birds logged in Asuncion (45 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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