Birds Around Me 0051 - Wire-tailed Swallow (तारवाली भिंगरी) - Hirundo smithii

Wire-tailed Swallow (तारवाली भिंगरी) - Hirundo smithii
Taken on June 26, 2018
Location: Sanjivini Nagar, Jabalpur, India (Latitude: 23.172826, Longitude: 79.881881) 

Wire-tailed Swallow (तारवाली भिंगरी) - Hirundo smithii  (18 cm), is a small swallow. It has bright blue upper-parts, bright white underparts and a chestnut cap. Immature birds lack tail wires, and have dull brown (rather than chestnut) caps. Male and female are appearances, but the female has shorter wires. Juveniles have a brown crown, back and tail.

This is an aquatic species associated with large rivers, streams, floodplains, dams and canals. The foraging habitat can vary, depending on the vegetation surrounding the water, and includes grassland, open woodland and forest edges

Identification: the wire like streamers on the outer tail feathers but only visible at close range. 
 
Bird Facts: In colonial India, sportsmen shot the openbill for meat, calling it the "beef-steak bird"

Where: Open country usually near water.


Birds Around Me - Unfinished List (अपूर्ण  सूची)