Upper plumage glossy steel blue, wings and tail black; some white in tail. Lower plumage reddish yellow; forehead, chin, and throat chestnut red.
[89]. Hirundo smithii: The Wire-tailed Swallow. (F. 818), (J. 84), (-I, with the two outer feathers of the tail, the ends of which look like wires, 7 inches in length.)
Head chestnut, upper plumage glossy steel blue, lower plumage pure white.
Not found in Madras or east of the U. P. Builds cup-shaped nest of mud, usually under a bridge or culvert; sometimes in a verandah. Eggs white with small red splashes.
[90]. Hirundo erythropygia: Sykes’s Striated Swallow, or the Red-rumped Swallow. (F. 823), (J. 85), (-I, with a forked tail over 3 inches in length.)
Upper parts glossy steel blue, except for the sides of the head and the lower back; which are chestnut red. Lower plumage pale reddish yellow.
Not found in Madras, Eastern Bengal, or Burma. Nest of usual swallow type; eggs white.
Key to the Common Swallows
A.—Tail short. a. Under parts light—Cotile sinensis. b. Under parts dark—Ptyonoprogne concolor. B.—Tail long and forked. a. Chestnut red on forehead, chin, and throat—Hirundo rustica. b. Head only chestnut, under parts white, outer tail feathers very long and wire-like—H. smithii. c. Chestnut on lower back—H. erythropygia.