Sri Lanka Swallow

Sri Lanka Swallow

Cecropis hyperythra

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

1,268 Verified sightings at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]
1,523 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Sri Lanka Swallow

The Sri Lanka swallow (Cecropis hyperythra) is a resident breeder endemic to Sri Lanka. It is closely related to the red-rumped swallow, and was formerly considered a subspecies. Quite a large swallow with a deeply forked tail. It has a deep rufous underside and an unmarked navy-blue rump, a unique feature of this species. Its rufous underside can be used to tell it apart from the red-rumped swallow. It is a passerine, which means it has three toes pointing forward and one pointing backward, allowing it to perch.

It is found in a variety of open country habitats in both the lowlands and foothills in Sri Lanka, including farm fields and lightly wooded areas. It usually lives in pairs or small groups. Rasmussen, P.C., and J.C. Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia. The Ripley guide. Volume 2: attributes and status. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions, Washington D.C. and Barcelona Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:21

Sri Lanka · 2016

© Peter Boesman · XC311169 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Flight call0:41

Sri Lanka · 2014

© Hans Matheve · XC211806 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:05

Sri Lanka · 2014

© Andrew Spencer · XC190814 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
2 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
3 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
4 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
5 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
6 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Sri Lanka Swallow in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sri Lanka Swallow sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 1,268 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 44th most-seen of the 204 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Sri Lanka Swallow in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

March–June and September–January

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Sri Lanka Swallow in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, against about 10% in February and July–August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Sri Lanka Swallow?

Between 3 and 6 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sri Lanka Swallow sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Where else can you see a Sri Lanka Swallow?

Only Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte], in our data

Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Sri Lanka Swallow sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Sri Lanka Swallow sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Sri Lanka Swallow is recorded against all the birds logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (1,268 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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