European Red-rumped Swallow

Cecropis rufula (Temminck, 1835)

European Red-rumped Swallow, Cecropis rufula, breeds across southern Europe, northern Africa and parts of western and central Asia, and spends the non-breeding season in Africa and south-west Asia. It is a swallow in the family Hirundinidae and was first described by Temminck in 1835. The bird is best recognised by its pale orangey or reddish rump, buff underparts, pale face and throat, and orangey-red collar on the nape. Its tail is deeply forked, and the underside of the tail is black, which helps separate it from the Barn Swallow.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Hirundinidae — Swallows, Martins

Breeding range

Palearctic: s Europe and n Africa e to Iran, Pakistan and nw India

Nonbreeding range

to Africa and sw Asia