Tawny-headed Swallow

Tawny-headed Swallow

Alopochelidon fucata

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Buenos Aires

In 3 days <5%

12 Verified sightings at Buenos Aires
322 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
February 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 Buenos Aires?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny-headed Swallow sighting in Buenos Aires on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 257th most-seen of the 274 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny-headed Swallow in Buenos Aires on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

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 Buenos Aires the best place to see a Tawny-headed Swallow?

4th of 4

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

Which relatives of the Tawny-headed Swallow live in Buenos Aires?

Same family: Hirundinidae

The closest relatives of the Tawny-headed Swallow that you can see in Buenos Aires (family Hirundinidae, Swallows and Martins) are Brown-chested Martin (about 30%), Gray-breasted Martin (about 30%) and Blue-and-white Swallow (about 30%), 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 Buenos Aires (12 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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