The black saw-wing, also known as the blue saw-wing or black rough-winged swallow, is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.
Region
Eastern and Southern Africa (Afromontane belt)
Typical Environment
Found from the Ethiopian Highlands south through the highlands of Kenya and Tanzania to Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the Drakensberg of South Africa. It favors montane and submontane evergreen forest, forest edge, and nearby open areas such as clearings and high-altitude grasslands. Birds frequently forage along streams, ravines, and cliff faces, and over roads that cut through forest. Local movements occur following food availability and weather, especially outside the breeding season.
Altitude Range
600–3500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The black saw-wing, also called the blue saw-wing or black rough-winged swallow, is an African swallow noted for the tiny serrations along the outer primaries that can make a faint buzzing sound in flight. It is a sleek, uniformly dark swallow with a subtle steel-blue sheen, most often seen coursing low over forest edges and streams. Pairs are typically monogamous and often nest in cavities or small burrows in banks or road cuttings. It is widespread and adaptable in montane regions.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
fast, agile flier with short rapid wingbeats interspersed with brief glides
Social Behavior
Often forages in small groups and may associate loosely with other swallows and swifts. Typically nests singly or in small, loose colonies, using cavities or short burrows in banks, cuttings, or eroded faces. Pairs are monogamous and both adults participate in nest building and chick rearing.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Soft, high-pitched twitters and dry trills given in flight, with short buzzy notes. Calls are more frequent during aerial foraging and near nesting sites.
