Red Sea Swallow Petrochelidon perdita Scientific name definitions

Unknown; known only from one specimen found dead at Sanganeb (NE Port Sudan). Possibly breeds in Red Sea hills of Sudan or Eritrea, or in coastal hills of W Saudi Arabia (N of Jeddah) (1 Butchart, S.H.M. (2007). Birds to find: a review of ‘lost’, obscure and poorly known African bird species. Bull. Afr. Bird Club 14(2): 139–157. Close ).

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Data Deficient. Known only from single type specimen, found dead in May 1984. Range unknown. Unidentified hirundines recorded several times in Ethiopia (e.g. 20 at L Langano, up to 12 in Awash National Park, also at three other sites) were possibly of this species or, perhaps more likely, belonged to another, as yet undescribed taxon; features included whitish (not blue-black) throat and upper breast, dark (not pale) chin, and buffy to pale rufous (not grey) rump. Otherwise, two pale-rumped swallows seen at sea as they flew towards Jedda (2 Madge, S.C. and Redman, N.J. (1989). The existence of a form of Cliff Swallow, Hirundo sp., in Ethiopia. Scopus 13: 126–129. Close ) may also have been of present species. Thought most likely to be found in Red Sea hills of Sudan or Eritrea, or possibly coastal hills of W Saudi Arabia north of Jedda (3 Butchart, S. H. M. (2007). Birds to find: a review of ‘lost’, obscure and poorly known African bird species. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 14(2):139–157. Close ) BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Hirundo perdita. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/11/2015. .