Lesser striped swallow

Cecropis abyssinica

The Lesser striped swallow (Cecropis abyssinica) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Open woods and towns across sub-Saharan Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, fruit and seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Cecropis abyssinica
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

🏡 Where the Lesser striped swallow lives

Open woods and towns across sub-Saharan Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs70%
🍎 Fruit20%
🌰 Seeds & nuts10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It builds a long mud nest shaped like a bottle with a tunnel.

Hear the Lesser striped swallow

Recorded by Stein Ø. Nilsen (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC452595. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Lesser striped swallow

Where does the Lesser striped swallow live?

The Lesser striped swallow lives in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Open woods and towns across sub-Saharan Africa.

What does the Lesser striped swallow eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 70%), fruit (about 20%), seeds and nuts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Lesser striped swallow endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.