Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The northern rough-winged swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) is a small, migratory swallow. It is very similar to the southern rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx ruficollis. The genus name, Stelgidopteryx, is from Ancient Greek and means "scraper wing" and the species name, serripennis, is derived from Latin and means "saw feather". In the common name, "rough-winged" refers to the serrated edge feathers on the wing of this bird; this feature would only be apparent when holding this bird.
Six subspecies of the northern rough-winged swallow are currently recognized. Stelgidopteryx serripennis serripennis is the nominate subspecies and can be found to occur in southern Alaska and Canada to the southern United States. They are found to usually winter in southern Florida and from southwestern Mexico to Panama. It was described by Audubon in 1838.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis psammochrous was described by Ludlow Griscom in 1929. It breeds in the southwestern US and winters from central Mexico to Panama. It can be differentiated from the nominate race by being paler, especially on the crown and rump.
Stelgidopteryx serripennis fulvipennis is... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 8 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Rough-winged Swallow sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 5,667 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 116th most-seen of the 375 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Rough-winged Swallow in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in August to February, the lowest months. Those are among San Francisco's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in December.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Rough-winged 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.
25th of 46
Of the 46 cities where we can rate Northern Rough-winged Swallow sightings, San Francisco ranks 25th at about 10%. The best odds are in Mesa (United States, about 30%), Tegucigalpa (Honduras, about 30%) and León (México, about 20%).
Same family: Hirundinidae
The closest relatives of the Northern Rough-winged Swallow that you can see in San Francisco (family Hirundinidae, Swallows and Martins) are Barn Swallow (about 10%), Violet-green Swallow (about 10%) and Tree Swallow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is recorded against all the birds logged in San Francisco (5,667 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.
