The beautiful White-throated Swallow Hirundo albigularis breeds in southern Africa from Angola and Zambia southwards to the Cape in South Africa. It is mainly migratory, wintering in Angola, Zambia and southern Zaire. A bird of open country and grassland, White-throated Swallows typically occur in the highlands and are almost always found near water (even small streams will do) hawking like a Barn Swallow for insects. The nest is usually built near or over water too, and is constructed on a ledge under an overhang on a rock face or on a man-made structure such as a building, dam wall, culvert or bridge (the easiest way to find the species is to check road-bridges over rivers and creeks at the right time of year).

These two birds were photographed in open countryside just outside the town on Memel in the Free State (on a rather gloomy day in early September), and were - absolutely typically - perched on a fence running across a stream no more than a couple of feet wide. The final photo is not particularly good (before anyone mails me), but it does show the striking white “windows” in the tail that the birds flash as they twist and turn after their prey.

Photos copyright Charlie Moores 2008

This post has been submitted to Bird Photography Weekly #5 at Birdfreak.  Go check it out!