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Summary

The pale-footed swallow (Orochelidon flavipes) is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It is found in the northern Andes, from Venezuela to Bolivia. It is monotypic.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. They are usually seen in small flocks, occasionally with the blue-and-white swallow.
They are classified as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Taxonomy and etymology

This swallow is monotypic.

The pale-footed swallow is also known as the cloud-forest swallow, supposedly because it is known to reside in cloud forests.

Description

This swallow has an average length of 12 cm (4.7 in) and an average weight of 10.6 g (0.37 oz). It has dark, glossy blue upperparts, with the wing, tail, and undertail coverts being more black than the rest. They have a dusky chin and a throat coloured cinnamon-buff. The white chest is tinged cinnamon-buff. The belly is also white. They have blackish-brown underwing coverts, axillars, flanks, and tibial feathers. They have a black bill with pink mouth-lining and a dark brown iris. They have a slightly notched tail. Their lower legs and toes are made of pink flesh. The sexes are similar, and the immature swallows of this species are similar, except their undertail coverts have white or pale edges.

These birds are not to be confused with the very similar blue-and-white swallow, which can be differentiated by the pale-footed swallow's blackish flanks, and its faster flight. The pale-footed swallow is also slightly smaller than the blue-and-white swallow.

The pale-footed swallow has a flight call frequently described as a dzreet. Their call can be differentiated from the call of the similar blue-and-white swallow by the fact that it is drier than that of the blue-and-white swallow. These swallows also have been known to use a call described as a trilled tre-e-e-ed. The song is a series of trills and thin warbles, which is described as...