Gray-breasted Martin
Progne chalybea
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyHirundinidae (Swallows and Martins)
- GenusProgne (New World Martins)
- SpeciesProgne chalybea (Gray-breasted Martin)
About the Gray-breasted Martin
The grey-breasted martin (Progne chalybea) is a large swallow from Central and South America. In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the grey-breasted martin in the second volume of his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana. He used the French name L'hirondelle de Cayenne and the Latin name Hirundo Cayanensis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. The grey-breasted martin was subsequently described by the French polymath, the Comte de Buffon, in 1779 and by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1783. Latham used the English name "Chalybeate swallow" but neither Buffon nor Latham introduced a scientific name.
The German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin included the grey-breasted martin when he revised and expanded Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae in 1789. He placed it with the swallows in the genus Hirundo and coined the binomial name Hirundo chalybea. The specific epithet chalybea is Latin meaning "steely". The grey-breasted martin is now one of nine species placed in the... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Gray-breasted Martin in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Mangrove Swallow
Tachycineta albilinea
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Spot-breasted Wren
Pheugopedius maculipectus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Social Flycatcher
Myiozetetes similis
White-collared Manakin
Manacus candei
Melodious Blackbird
Dives dives
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
White-breasted Wood-Wren
Henicorhina leucosticta
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Gray-breasted Martin in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-breasted Martin sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Gray-breasted Martin in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary?
June has the highest sighting rate for Gray-breasted Martin in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in our monthly data.