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Petrochelidon spilodera

South African Cliff Swallow


Petrochelidon spilodera

(Sundevall, CJ, 1850)
Golondrina Sudafricana

Family: Hirundinidae
Order: Passeriformes
Class: Aves
Phylum / Division: Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

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Synonyms: Hirundo spilodera.





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Records from Johanesburgo

Conservation status according to BirdLife International: Least Concern


Description


The South African cliff swallow (Petrochelidon spilodera), also known as the South African swallow, is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae native southern Africa. It winters to the lower Congo Basin.

Nests are commonly built from mud under artificial structures such as huts and bridges. It is well known for its supposed ability to carry coconuts, although this claim has little to no credibility outside of the Monty Python fictional universe.

Source: Wikipedia, article Petrochelidon spilodera. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 17/07/2026.





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Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
242346315/01/2026South AfricaGauteng1 Jones Rd., Johanesburgo2Hugo Caverzasi
Page 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. South African Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon spilodera) – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 27/09/2026.