Fun Greater Striped Swallow Facts For Kids
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A greater striped swallow caught the attention of humans as early as in the year 1780s. This striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) almost instantly became everyone's number one favorite aesthetic in cutlery design widely all across the native Africa of that time.
The people around started hand painting this greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata), which is still found. Owing to the spectacular events revolving around this tiny wing friend, it got its scientific name as early as 1783. The Cecropis cucullata, greater striped swallow, was once known as Hirundo cucullata.
As these birds are unafraid of humans, they are a great delight to birdwatchers worldwide, allowing a closer inspection, unlike most birds. A greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) is often compared with a lesser striped swallow, nonetheless, both are very different.
Just like the birds all across the planet, we encourage you to keep exploring and get the best out of your curiosity, so check out our other interesting articles on the belted kingfisher and scissor-tailed flycatchers.
Greater Striped Swallow Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a greater striped swallow?
A greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) is a kind of bird and belongs to the Hirundinidae family.
What class of animal does a greater striped swallow belong to?
A striped swallow, Cecropis cucullata, belongs to the Aves class.
How many greater striped swallows are there in the world?
The striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata, population has been increasing over the past few years. Although their population cannot be pinpointed to a species number, it can be assumed that more than 10,000 individuals can be found in a natural greater striped swallow habitat spread around acres of land.
These birds are also found around human habitation as they aren't intimidated by humans.
Where does a greater striped swallow live?
The greater striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata, is mainly found humming in the African continent, especially in southern Africa. It can be considered that Namibia and southern Zimbabwe are the prime chosen habitats of this greater striped swallow.
What is a greater striped swallow's habitat?
A striped swallow, Cecropia cucullata, often migrates so its habitat can be found anywhere. Although, its natural habitats are most likely to be grasslands and wetlands or bridges culverts and similar areas along with shrublands.
Who do greater striped swallows live with?
These birds can be often found mixing in with different species of swallow and that's a very natural sight when it comes to these birds. Nonetheless, a greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) also shares its natural habitat with many African birds such as Hornbills.
Hornbills and greater striped swallows along with their neighboring breed lesser striped swallow can be seen sharing the same natural habitats. Birds such as kori bustards can also be seen mingling well with this colorful striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata.
How long does a greater striped swallow live?
The greater striped swallow, Cecropis cucullata, can live up to four to five years like most birds. Although, these birds have many sub-species so the lifespan can be different as we go down to different species of the striped swallow.
How do they reproduce?
There are around 82 plus species of these birds and the breeding behavior changes drastically. To note, some of the birds give birth to youngs in existing old nests while some species build bowl-shaped mud nests every breeding season.
The greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) builds a bowl-shaped nest. Among the striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata, the classic bowl-shaped mud nest is very common. These birds use buildings bridges culverts and similar to create a suitable structure for the nest.
A bowl-shaped mud nest is built by both males and females together. To give a suitable structure, the nest often comes in a bowl shape, while the males and females both incubate the eggs and watch out for predators.
What is their conservation status?
This bird's status is Least Concern. The greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) enjoys a very healthy and vast population all across the African continent. Nonetheless, habitat loss repeatedly happens to be a threat for this greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) but, its population remained to thrive anyway.
Greater Striped Swallow Fun Facts
What do greater striped swallows look like?
This very colorful and active natured bird is surely going to catch your interest at just first sight. You don't need to be an expert birdwatcher to identify a greater striped swallow, having an eye for detail can land you just fine in identifying this striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata.
A greater striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata, comes with its signature cinnamon crown and dark blue to navy blue underparts.
Blackish-blue wings and chestnut brown underwings are common in the striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata. The female greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) carries a short black tail when compared to the males of this species.
How cute are they?
You can catch sight of a striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) building a bowl-shaped mud nest in the countryside and they are sure to amaze you. These birds are very colorful and are not afraid of humans so they are less likely to be interrupted by you or your family during their normal activities.
As these birds are found around human habitation, it's very easy to spot them, and they are sure to get an amazing reaction from you and your family.
How do they communicate?
A greater striped swallow call is a communication technique in itself. These birds generate many songs or calls to express themselves. A greater striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata, uses its calls and sounds to express excitement to alarm its partner guiding the nest or simply during courtship.
How big is a greater striped swallow?
A greater striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata, is a very tiny bird compared to its neighboring birds in Africa. These birds weigh around 100 times less than an African penguin and are around 20 times smaller than eared grebe.
How fast can a greater striped swallow fly?
A greater striped swallow, Hirundo cucullata, is often locally referred to as a migrant as these birds migrate very often. Thus, it clearly shows a lot about how good these birds are in covering on distance flights.
How much does a greater striped swallow weigh?
The Cecropus cucullata, greater striped swallow, weight is around 0.04-0.077 lb (0.019-0.035 kg).
What are the male and female names of the species?
The greater striped swallow, Cecropis cucullata, shares a common name for both sexes. Male and females are not appointed different names in this species.
What would you call a baby greater striped swallow?
A baby greater striped swallow, Cecropis cucullta, is called a nestling, as it is still in the nest and is protected by both its parents.
What do they eat?
The greater striped swallow (Hirundo cucullata) feeds on insects and chooses to select bigger and larger insects. These birds generally avoid bees and wasps as they can sting and hurt the newborns. Fruits also form a large part of their diet. Their diet is very much similar to lesser striped swallow.
Are they dangerous?
No, they aren't dangerous to humans but are very aggressive when protecting their nests. This bird builds a bowl-shaped nest to breed.
Would they make a good pet?
Yes, a greater striped swallow, Cecropis cucullata, can interact well, is quiet, and can be proven to be a very good pet indeed.
Did you know...
The greater striped swallow, Cecropis cucullata, is named in various religious stories and traditions. The greater striped swallow, Cecropis cucullata, shares a long history with legends and myths which are going on for a very long time.
When talking about the greater striped swallow vs lesser striped swallow criteria, both of them build a bowl-shaped nest under bridges, culverts, and similar settings. The lesser striped swallow is very similar to the greater striped swallow.
What are the types of striped swallows?
The most common birds are the lesser striped swallow, then comes Bahama swallow and barn swallows.
Is the greater striped swallow endemic?
The greater striped swallow (Cecropis cucullata) can be considered globally endemic but locally when we speak of Africa, its population is abundant. However, in monsoons, they face habitat loss and experience population decline.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Tennesse Warbler facts and Canada warbler facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable greater striped swallow coloring pages.
Greater Striped Swallow Facts
What Did They Prey On?
InsectsWhat Type of Animal were they?
Fruits, seeds, and insectsAverage Litter Size?
3How Much Did They Weigh?
0.04-0.077 lb (0.019-0.035 kg)What habitat Do they Live In?
grasslands and wetlandsWhere Do They Live?
africaHow Long Were They?
7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)How Tall Were They?
N/AClass
AvesGenus
CecropisFamily
HirundinidaeScientific Name
Cecropis cucullataWhat Do They Look Like?
Dark blue and orangeSkin Type
FurWhat Are Their Main Threats?
habitat lossWhat is their Conservation Status?
Least Concern
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