Whitethroated swallow
The Zulu name is iNkonjane and Afrikaans die witkeelswael.
A common but localised, breeding intra – African migrant from southern Zaire, Angola and Zambia in August until April.
They are usually solitary or in pairs sometimes in family groups. The flight is quick and agile, often hawking prey over water, but also over grassland. Aerial arthropods are their food source.
These swallows like open country, mostly grassland especially on the highveld, usually found near water like rivers, streams and dams. The call is a sharp twitter and warbling song.
The breeding season is August to March. The nest is a half cup of mud pellets mixed with grass and lined with feathers and rootlets. These are stuck to the wall of bridges, culverts, dam walls, rock face, silo or buildings. Usually three white eggs with reddish brown speckles are laid. Incubation period is 15 to 16 days. Nestling for 20 to 21 days. Fledglings return to nest for about 12 days after initial departure.
The Zulu name is iNkonjane and Afrikaans die witkeelswael.
