CreatureData

White-bibbed swallow

Hirundo nigrita G. R. Gray, 1845

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The white-bibbed swallow (Hirundo nigrita) is a species in the family Hirundinidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 18.3 g to 18.9 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

White-bibbed swallow (Hirundo nigrita)
Photo: Richard Bowdler Sharpe · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the white-bibbed swallow

Weight
18.3 g – 18.9 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.4src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the white-bibbed swallow live?

Not recorded

What is the white-bibbed swallow?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The white-bibbed swallow (Hirundo nigrita), also known as the white-throated blue swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. The plumage is mainly glossy dark blue, but may appear black at a distance. It is widespread but generally uncommon across the African tropical rainforest (including Dahomey Gap). It is generally a resident, non-migratory bird, though it may undertake minor local movements. In Sierra Leone they are noted mainly from December to July, though long-distance seasonal migrations are not suspected. They are found year-round near tropical rivers, lakes, and rainforest streams. No subspecies are known.

They have solitary and territorial nesting habits. The open cup-shaped nests are built by both sexes, and placed from near the water surface to 3 meters up. The nest of mud pellets and some dry grass is lined on the inside with soft material, like feathers, bark strips or grass. Nests are placed on either natural sites like rock faces, cliffs, fallen trees, etc., or less often attached to man-made structures like bridges, piers, etc. The clutch consists of 2 to 3 eggs, and is incubated by the female. The eggs are white and speckled brown and greyish brown. Nestlings leave the nest in 17 to 18 days, but remain in the nest vicinity for some time longer.

From the Wikipedia article “White-bibbed swallow” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-bibbed_swallow&oldid=1372860614), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the white-bibbed swallow endangered?

The white-bibbed swallow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the white-bibbed swallow classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyHirundinidae
  6. genusHirundo
  7. SpeciesHirundo nigrita G. R. Gray, 1845

Synonyms Waldenia nigrita

Other names and names in other languages (42)
  • White-throated blue swallowEnglish
  • White-throated blue swallowEnglish
  • WTBSEnglish
  • سنونو أبيض المريلةArabic
  • سنونو أزرق أبيض الحنجرةArabic
  • oreneta de pitet blancCatalan
  • vlaštovka bělohrdláCzech
  • gwennol yddfwen y GogleddWelsh
  • Hvidstrubet BlåsvaleDanish
  • MedaillonschwalbeGerman
  • MohrenschwalbeGerman
  • safira hirundoEsperanto
  • Golondrina negritaSpanish
  • Golondrina azul de garganta blancaSpanish
  • lõkapääsukeEstonian
  • پرستوی سینهسفیدPersian
  • virtapääskyFinnish
  • Hirondelle noireFrench
  • Hirondelle à bavetteFrench
  • blistava lastavicaCroatian
  • Rondine nigritaItalian
  • Rondine blu golabiancaItalian
  • Rondine dal bavaglino biancoItalian
  • オジロクロツバメJapanese
  • mėlynoji šelmeninė kregždėLithuanian
  • Zwarte ZwaluwDutch
  • safirsvaleNorwegian
  • jaskółka modraPolish
  • andorinha-de-babetePortuguese
  • Andorinha-azul-de-garganta-brancaPortuguese
  • Rândunică albastră cu gât albRomanian
  • Синяя ласточкаRussian
  • Синяя настоящая ласточкаRussian
  • Синяя (настоящая) ласточкаRussian
  • lastovička vodnáSlovak
  • Belogrla plava lastaSerbian
  • safirsvalaSwedish
  • Ak Kuyruklu Mavi KırlangıçTurkish
  • ластівка синяUkrainian
  • Nhạn lam họng trắngVietnamese
  • 小藍燕Chinese
  • 白喉蓝燕Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the white-bibbed swallow

Other species in the same genus Hirundo.

CompareWhite-bibbed swallow vs Barn swallowWhite-bibbed swallow vs Wire-tailed swallowWhite-bibbed swallow vs Tahiti swallowWhite-bibbed swallow vs Ethiopian swallow

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the white-bibbed swallow?

An adult white-bibbed swallow weighs 18.3 g – 18.9 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the white-bibbed swallow endangered?

The white-bibbed swallow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the white-bibbed swallow?

The white-bibbed swallow (Hirundo nigrita) belongs to the family Hirundinidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). White-bibbed swallow (Hirundo nigrita). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-bibbed-swallow

MLA

“White-bibbed swallow (Hirundo nigrita).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-bibbed-swallow.

BibTeX
@misc{white_bibbed_swallow_2026,
  title = {White-bibbed swallow (Hirundo nigrita)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-bibbed-swallow},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}