Grey-breasted martin
| Grey-breasted martin | |
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| File:Grey-breasted martin (Progne chalybea).JPG | |
| In the Pantanal, Brazil | |
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P. chalybea
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| Binomial name | |
| Progne chalybea (Gmelin, 1789)
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The grey-breasted martin (Progne chalybea) is a large swallow from Central and South America.
Adult grey-breasted martins are 18 cm (7.1 in) in length, with a forked tail and relatively broad wings, and weigh 39 g (1.4 oz). Adult males are a glossy blue-black with the grey-brown throat, breast and sides contrasting with the white lower underparts. Females are duller than the male, and juveniles have dull brown upperparts.
The subspecies and their distributions are:[2]
- P. c. chalybea – (Gmelin, 1789): nominate, breeds from Mexico through Central America south to central Brazil, and on Trinidad
- P. c. warneri – Phillips, A.R., 1986: found in western Mexico
- P. c. macrorhamphus – Brooke, 1974: breeds further south in South America to central Argentina
The southern subspecies migrates north as far as Venezuela during the southern hemisphere's winter, and the nominate form also undertakes local movements after the breeding season.
The grey-breasted martin nests in cavities in banks and buildings, or old woodpecker holes. Normally 2–4 eggs are laid in the lined nest, and incubated for 15–16 days, with another 22 to fledging.
Grey-breasted martins are gregarious birds which hunt for insects in flight. Their call is a gurgly chew-chew, similar to that of the closely related Caribbean martin. The latter species is slightly larger, and has more contrasting underparts.
References
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Progne chalybea. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Progne chalybea |
- BirdLife species factsheet for Progne chalybea
- Grey-breasted martin videos, photos, and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
- Gray-breasted martin photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Gray-breasted martin species account at NeotropicalBirds (Cornell University)
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