Red Sea cliff swallow

Red Sea cliff swallow
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Genus: Petrochelidon
Species: H. perdita
Binomial name
Hirundo perdita
Fry & D. A. Smith, 1985
Synonyms
  • Hirundo perdita

The Red Sea cliff swallow (Hirundo perdita), also known as the Red Sea swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae.

Distribution and habitat

It is possibly endemic to Sudan. It is known only from a single specimen, found in May 1984 at the Sanganeb lighthouse, north-east of Port Sudan, Sudan. This enigmatic swallow may still exist, though the lack of recent records is puzzling. Unidentified swallows have been sighted in Lake Langano (c. 20 birds) and in Awash National Park (3-8 birds) in the East African Rift in Ethiopia, and these are possibly this species. It is alternatively placed in the genus Hirundo.

References


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