NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Blue Swallow
Hirundo atrocaerulea Sundevall, 1850
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The blue swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea) is a small bird within the swallow family which is in the order Passeriformes. Swallows are somewhat similar in habits and appearance to other aerial insectivores, such as the martins (also a passerine) and the swifts (order Apodiformes). It breeds in the Afromontane (from South Africa to Tanzania), wintering north of Lake Victoria.
This bird breeds in montane grassland, preferring high rainfall, undulating areas. In winter it prefers open grassland, with bushes and trees. The nest is usually attached to the roof or side of a hole in the ground.
Wikipedia contributors, Blue swallow; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:20:30.647014+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hirundo atrocaerulea Sundevall, 1850
- Name authority
- Sundevall, 1850
- Common name
- Blue Swallow
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Hirundo
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyHirundinidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusHirundo Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesHirundo atrocaerulea Sundevall, 1850
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hirundo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-throated SwallowHirundo albigularis Strickland, 1849 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-tailed SwallowHirundo megaensis Benson, 1942 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-and-rufous SwallowHirundo nigrorufa Barboza du Bocage, 1877 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pacific SwallowHirundo tahitica J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Welcome SwallowHirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pacific SwallowHirundo javanica Sparrman, 1789 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ethiopian SwallowHirundo aethiopica Blanford, 1869 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pearl-breasted SwallowHirundo dimidiata Sundevall, 1850 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hill SwallowHirundo domicola Jerdon, 1841 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pied-winged SwallowHirundo leucosoma Swainson, 1837 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-chested SwallowHirundo lucida Hartlaub, 1858 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-bibbed SwallowHirundo nigrita G. R. Gray, 1845 | HirundinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Sundevall, & Carl Jacob. (1850). Foglar från Södra Afrika. Öfversigt Af Kongliga Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar, Vol. 7, No. 4. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3M4RC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.