Lesser Striped Swallow
Cecropis abyssinica
Also known as: Lesser Striped Swallows
About This Species
A common aerial insectivore across sub-Saharan Africa, often seen hawking insects in fast, swooping flight over open ground, water, or roads. It builds a distinctive bottle-shaped mud nest with a long entrance tunnel under bridges, eaves, or culverts, and these nest sites are often the easiest way to confirm its presence in an area. It can be watched year-round, with nest-building activity concentrated around the rains when mud is available.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Active nests are best viewed from a distance that does not require standing directly beneath the structure, since repeated close approach can cause birds to abandon a partly built nest.
- General wildlife protections apply in most range countries, though enforcement and specific rules vary widely across sub-Saharan Africa.
- Watching foraging flight over open ground is a low-disturbance way to enjoy the species without going near nest sites at all.
LCAvesPasseriformesHirundinidae
Seasonal Activity
188,539 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.