Pygochelidon is a genus of birds in the swallow family Hirundinidae that occur in the Neotropics.
Taxonomy The genus Pygochelidon was introduced in 1865 by the American naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird with the blue-and-white swallow as the type species. The name combines the Ancient Greek pugē meaning "rump" with khelidōn meaning "swallow".
This genus was formerly treated as a junior synonym of the genus Notiochelidon. It was resurrected to contain a clade of two species based on a genetic study published in 2005.
Species The genus contains the following two species: Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Blue-and-white swallow Pygochelidon cyanoleuca Breeds from Nicaragua south throughout South America, except in the deserts and the Amazon Basin; southern race migratory, wintering as far north as Trinidad. Black-collared swallow Pygochelidon melanoleuca Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and possibly Paraguay.
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