The chestnut-collared swallow is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are pastureland and heavily degraded former forest.
Region
Pacific slope of western Ecuador and northwestern Peru
Typical Environment
Occurs in the coastal lowlands and foothills on the Pacific side of the Andes in Ecuador and adjacent northwestern Peru. It frequents open country such as pasturelands, agricultural fields, river valleys, and towns, as well as edges of heavily degraded former forest. Nesting sites are typically vertical faces and overhangs on natural cliffs or human structures like bridges and buildings. It is patchily distributed where suitable nesting substrates and nearby open foraging areas coincide.
Altitude Range
0–2200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This colonial swallow builds gourd-shaped mud nests on cliffs, buildings, and under bridges, often forming dense clusters. Its narrow rufous collar around the hindneck helps distinguish it from other swallows in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. It readily exploits human-altered landscapes, foraging over pastures and towns. Nests are reused and repaired across seasons when sites remain undisturbed.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
agile aerialist with rapid wingbeats and brief glides
Social Behavior
Strongly colonial breeder that places clustered mud nests on vertical surfaces. Pairs form within colonies and both sexes share nest building and chick rearing. Outside the breeding season it often roosts communally and forages in loose flocks.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A mix of soft twitters, dry chattering, and buzzy trills delivered in short sequences around colonies. Contact calls are sharp chips; alarm notes become harsher and more insistent near the nest.
