LC
Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 54,600,000 km2 medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 49,700,000 km2 medium
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend increasing - estimated -
Generation length 2.53 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be common in Africa, common in Pakistan and locally common in India (Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, Keith et al. 1992). The population is estimated to be increasing following recorded range expansions (del Hoyo et al. 2004).

Trend justification: The population is estimated to be increasing following recorded range expansions (del Hoyo et al. 2004).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Afghanistan extant native yes
Angola extant native
Benin extant native
Botswana extant native
Burkina Faso extant native
Burundi extant native
Cambodia extant native
Cameroon extant native
Central African Republic extant native
Chad extant native
Congo extant vagrant
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the extant native
Côte d'Ivoire extant native
Egypt extant vagrant
Eritrea extant native
Eswatini extant native
Ethiopia extant native
Gabon extant native
Gambia extant native
Ghana extant native
Guinea extant native
Guinea-Bissau extant native
Kenya extant native
Laos extant native yes
Liberia extant vagrant
Malawi extant native
Mali extant native
Mauritania extant native
Mozambique extant native
Myanmar extant native yes
Namibia extant native
Niger extant native
Nigeria extant native
Oman extant vagrant yes
Rwanda extant native
Senegal extant native
Sierra Leone extant native
Somalia extant native
South Africa extant native
South Sudan extant native yes
Sri Lanka extant vagrant yes
Sudan extant native
Tajikistan extant native yes
Tanzania extant native
Thailand extant native yes
Togo extant native
Turkmenistan extant native yes
Uganda extant native
United Arab Emirates extant native yes
Uzbekistan extant native
Zambia extant native
Zimbabwe extant native

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Canals and Drainage Channels, Ditches suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Canals and Drainage Channels, Ditches suitable breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Rural Gardens suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Rural Gardens suitable breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest suitable breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Urban Areas suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Urban Areas suitable breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable non-breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable breeding
Grassland Temperate suitable non-breeding
Grassland Temperate suitable breeding
Savanna Dry suitable non-breeding
Savanna Dry suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable breeding
Altitude 0 - 2700 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture subsistence, national

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/wire-tailed-swallow-hirundo-smithii on 26/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/12/2024.