Eastern Red-rumped Swallow

Cecropis daurica (Laxmann, 1769)

≈18 cmLength29 cmWingspan22 gWeight

This swallow has blue upperparts, a chestnut rump and a deeply forked tail.

Busiest months: December–February and October · Most records: India, China, Thailand

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Upperparts blue; reddish neck collar sometimes absent
Rump chestnut with streaks
Throat and breast white with distinct fine dark streaks
Deeply forked tail

Male, female and young

Sexes similar; juvenile is darker and browner, with a paler rump and shorter outer tail feathers.

Voice

Contact call is “pin”, alarm call “chi-chi-chi”, and song a soft twitter.

Where and when it's recorded

Eastern Red-rumped Swallow has been recorded at 1,891 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 28 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

GKVK CampusIndia4,129 records
Hoskote / Hosakote KereIndia1,972 records
Nantou – Jiji Endemic Species Research InstituteTaiwan (China)1,829 records

More places

Hessaraghatta KereIndia1,693 records
Thrissur Government Medical CollegeIndia1,662 records
Doddanekundi KereIndia1,499 records
Kerala Agricultural UniversityIndia1,455 records
Saul Kere / Sowl KereIndia1,285 records
Rishi Valley – School CampusIndia1,272 records
Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia1,206 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India China Thailand Nepal Cambodia Singapore Indonesia South Korea

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The eastern red-rumped swallow (Cecropis daurica) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae. It is found in open, often hilly, areas with clearings and cultivation across eastern and southeastern Asia to north-eastern India and Taiwan (China).

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Eastern Red-rumped Swallow?

The Eastern Red-rumped Swallow is about ≈18 cm long, with a wingspan of 29 cm and weighs around 22 g.

Where does the Eastern Red-rumped Swallow live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental: widespread. It is most often recorded in India, China and Thailand.

When is the best time to see the Eastern Red-rumped Swallow?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February, October and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Eastern Red-rumped Swallow endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Eastern Red-rumped Swallow as Least Concern.

What does the Eastern Red-rumped Swallow eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Eastern Red-rumped Swallow in?

It belongs to the family Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: ≈18 cm
Wingspan: 29 cm
Weight: 22 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Feeds in the air
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 122 mm
Tail: 98 mm
Bill: 11 mm
Tarsus: 14 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, Oriental: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 4

Cecropis daurica daurica ne Kazakhstan and Mongolia to sc China | non-breeding: to s, se Asia
Cecropis daurica japonica se Siberia, Korean Pen. and Japan to s China | non-breeding: to New Guinea, n coastal Australia and Bismarck Arch.
Cecropis daurica mayri ne Bangladesh, ne India, n Myanmar and s China | non-breeding: to s Indochina
Cecropis daurica striolata Taiwan (China) and Philippines (except Sulu Arch.), Java and Bali to Wetar and Timor (e Lesser Sundas)