Petrochelidon spilodera
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The South African cliff swallow (Petrochelidon spilodera), also known as the South African swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae native southern Africa. It winters to the lower Congo Basin. Nests are commonly built from mud under artificial structures such as huts and bridges. It is well known for its supposed ability to carry coconuts, although this claim has little to no credibility outside of the Monty Python fictional universe.
BirdLife International 2004. Hirundo spilodera. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 26 July 2007. South African Cliff Swallow - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a South African Swallow sighting in Johannesburg on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 194th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a South African Swallow in Johannesburg on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most South African 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.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate South African Swallow sightings, Johannesburg ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Pretoria (South Africa, under 5%).
Same family: Hirundinidae
The closest relatives of the South African Swallow that you can see in Johannesburg (family Hirundinidae, Swallows and Martins) are Greater Striped-Swallow (about 20%), White-throated Swallow (about 10%) and Rock Martin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the South African Swallow is recorded against all the birds logged in Johannesburg (9 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.
