African river-martin (Pseudochelidon eurystomina)
|French:||Hirondelle de rivière| |Size||Length: 14 cm (2)| The
African river-martin is classified as Data Deficient (DD) by the
IUCN Red List (1). The African river-martin, the most primitive
living swallow (3), has blue-black or purple-black plumage with
an attractive green sheen to the back, and sooty brown under-
wings. Its tail is black and square, the feet are brownish-pink,
and the red eye is surrounded by a pink eyering (2). Like other
swallows, the African river-martin’s large, orange-red bill can
open wide, enabling the bird to catch insects while flying with
ease (2) (4). Male and female African river-martins are the same
in appearance while juveniles have dull sooty brown plumage (2).
The African river-martin occurs in Gabon, Congo and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (2) The African river-martin breeds
along forested rivers, in coastal savanna and on islands with
sandy shores. Outside of the breeding season it can be found
roosting in reedbeds or in