Welcome Swallow

Scientific name: Hirundo neoxena

Meaning of name:

Hirundo is Latin for a swallow. Neoxena is from the Greek words neos, meaning new, and xenos, meaning strange.

Aboriginal Name:

Koonamit (koon’are’meet).

Distribution:

Widespread in Australia. Less common in arid and tropical areas.

Description:

Up to 16 centimetres long with a 31 centimetre wingspan.

Notes:

The furthest distance recorded by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme for this species of bird to travel is 571km. The oldest bird recorded was still alive when its band was read in March 1994, 11 years 6 months after being banded (information as at 20 June 2012).

The photographs for this species were not taken in the reserves of interest to the FQPB.

References:

Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Various contributors.

What Bird is That? Neville W Cayley. 1978

Aboriginal names of bird species in south-west Western Australia, with suggestions for their adoption into common usage. Ian Abbott. 2009. Conservation Science Western Australia Journal. Volume 7 No 2 https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/Journals/080559/080559-07.015.pdf

Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/science/abbbs/abbbs-search.html

Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/4e118c73-06a7-4131-bd67-5da5d2d61fd7