Tachycineta leucopyga
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Chilean swallow (Tachycineta leucopyga) is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It breeds in Chile and Patagonia, migrating north as far as Bolivia, Paraguay, and Rio Grande do Sul. The new genus Tachycineta was created for this group of swallows by German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1850. The current genus name Tachycineta, is from Ancient Greek takhukinetos, "moving quickly", and the specific meyeni commemorates Prussian botanist and collector Franz Meyen. Some consider the species name to be leucopyga, which is what the species name originally was. This species, along with the white-rumped swallow, T. leucorrhoa, form a superspecies. This species is monotypic.
The Chilean swallow is about 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length and weighs 15–20 grams (0.53–0.71 oz). It is glossy blue-black above and white below with a white rump. Its wings and tail are black, with white tips on its inner secondaries and its tertials. Their underwing coverts and auxiliaries are both grey. The Chilean swallow's bill and legs are black. The sexes are alike, and the juveniles are duller and browner.
It is similar to the white-rumped swallow, but... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 2 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 4 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santiago | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 2 | Mendoza | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chilean Swallow sighting in Península Valdés on a given day, based on 64 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 96 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.
January–March and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chilean Swallow in Península Valdés on a given day, against under 5% in October, the lowest month. June and July have too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chilean Swallow sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Chilean Swallow sightings, Península Valdés ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park (Chile, about 60%), Tierra del Fuego National Park (Argentina, about 60%) and Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Hirundinidae
The closest relatives of the Chilean Swallow that you can see in Península Valdés (family Hirundinidae, Swallows and Martins) are Southern Martin (about 50%), Barn Swallow (about 40%) and Blue-and-white Swallow (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chilean Swallow is recorded against all the birds logged in Península Valdés (64 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.
