Here are comments from Don Turner on this subject:
The
Ethiopian Swallow Hirundo aethiopica is well known in northern
Kenya south to
Laikipia and the Samburu-Shaba GRs and breeding on buildings is known
from Moyale, Marsabit, Archer's Post and on a regular basis at El
Karama Ranch, Laikipia (Grant & Lewis 1984: Scopus 8: 67-72).
Elsewhere it is also a common breeding resident at the coast around
beach caves from Mombasa north at least to Kilifi and Takaungu.
The race amadoni was described by White in 1956 from birds
collected
in British Somaliland, and indeed the Ethiopian Swallow is widespread
in Somalia both inland and along the coast, and all are attributed to
this race. In Ethiopia the nominate form is the more widespread,
extending south to northern Kenya, with amadoni confined to the
eastern and southeastern border regions with Somalia.
Britton (1980) considered all Kenya birds as belonging to the
nominate form, apart from those at Lamu which he assigned to amadoni.
Similarly Zimmerman et al. (1996) assigned coastal birds from the
Somali border south to Lamu and possibly Malindi as amadoni (see
Plate 73) and those in the remainder of the country as nominate.
Carswell et al. (2005) also attributed Uganda birds to the
nominate
form.
Brian's recent photos clearly show that the race amadoni extends
inland, and it is therefore quite possible that birds breeding at El
Karama also belong here. Clearly there is now a need to determine
the southern limits of the nominate form. Although the Ethiopian
Swallow has been attributed as occurring south to Tanga there is as
yet no reliably confirmed record of this species from Tanzania.
I'd rather go
birding...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Itai Shanni
Avian Ecologist, Conservationist
and a Guide.
Specialised in East
Africa and the Middle East.
e-mail:itaish1@yahoo.com
Mobile:
+972-523689773
Telefax: +972-779300173
Skype: itai_shanni
http://eilatbirding.blogspot.com/