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 →
Closest Relatives at Coiba National Park
Purple Martin
Progne subis
Mangrove Swallow
Tachycineta albilinea
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis
Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Lance-tailed Manakin
Chiroxiphia lanceolata
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Barred Antshrike
Thamnophilus doliatus
Crimson-backed Tanager
Ramphocelus dimidiatus
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes musculus
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Tropical Gnatcatcher
Polioptila plumbea
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 Coiba National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-breasted Martin sighting in Coiba National Park, based on 51 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Gray-breasted Martin in Coiba National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Gray-breasted Martin in Coiba National Park in our monthly data.