White-banded Swallow Gallery

Atticora fasciata

The Birds of the World website offers these introductory words about the White-banded Swallow:  Along the Amazon river and its tributaries there are a multitude of birds. One of them, the White-banded Swallow (Atticora fasciata) can be seen darting across the waters by itself, in pairs or in mixed-species groups. It is hard to confuse this aerial insectivore; its beautiful glossy blue-black plumage, bright white band across its chest, and deeply forked tail make it distinguishable from the rest.

I saw and photographed my first White-banded Swallow on the morning of August 19, 2023 in the Amazon Basin Region of Brazil.  Our small group with Jeff Parker Tours was at Southwild’s Fazenda São Nicolau located on the Juruena River west of Alta Floresta.  That morning we were up early for a boat ride on the river when we spotted a pair of White-banded Swallows in a dead tree limb sticking out of the water.  For a more detailed description of the trip that included my sighting of this bird look at this blog post.  Here are some of my photos of this unique bird.