Hirundo albigularis
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The white-throated swallow (Hirundo albigularis) is a small bird in the swallow family. It is a common species, found in southern Africa, which has benefited from the increased nesting opportunities presented by the construction of bridges and dams.
The white-throated swallow is 14–17 cm long. It has glossy dark blue upperparts and a bright chestnut crown. A dark blue-black breast band separates the white throat from the greyish white underparts and underwing coverts. The upper wings, underwing flight feathers and forked tail are blackish-blue, but the undertail has white patches near the feather tips. The white throat and blackish breast band are distinctions from similar Hirundo species. The outer feathers are slightly longer in the male than the female. Juveniles are duller than the adult, with shorter outer tail feathers and a browner crown. The call is a mix of warbles and twitters.
The swallow breeds in southern Africa from Angola and Zambia southwards to the Cape in South Africa. It is mainly migratory, wintering in Angola, Zambia and southern Zaire. This is a bird of open country and grassland, with a preference for highlands... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 11 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 12 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 13 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 16 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Swallow sighting in Cape Town on a given day, based on 638 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 38th most-seen of the 196 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Swallow in Cape Town on a given day, against under 5% in May to July, the lowest months. That is one of Cape Town's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 140 mm in June.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-throated Swallow sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 5 cities where we can rate White-throated Swallow sightings, Cape Town has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Johannesburg (South Africa, about 10%) and Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-throated Swallow is recorded against all the birds logged in Cape Town (638 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.
