Hirundo albigularis
Silhouette: Matt Wilkins · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Swallow sighting in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 263rd most-seen of the 275 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-throated Swallow in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to February, the lowest months. That is one of Mana Pools National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 290 mm in January. March has too few records to rate.
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.
15th of 16
Of the 16 parks where we can rate White-throated Swallow sightings, Mana Pools National Park ranks 15th at under 5%. The best odds are in West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 60%), De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 30%) and Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Hirundo
The closest relatives of the White-throated Swallow that you can see in Mana Pools National Park (genus Hirundo, Typical Swallows) are Wire-tailed Swallow (about 40%) and Barn Swallow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-throated Swallow is recorded against all the birds logged in Mana Pools National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
