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 Yasuní National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Yasuní National Park
Brown-chested Martin
Progne tapera
Southern Martin
Progne elegans
White-winged Swallow
Tachycineta albiventer
White-banded Swallow
Atticora fasciata
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Blue-and-white Swallow
Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Russet-backed Oropendola
Psarocolius angustifrons
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Cacicus cela
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
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 Yasuní National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-breasted Martin sighting in Yasuní National Park, based on 1,255 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Gray-breasted Martin in Yasuní National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Gray-breasted Martin in Yasuní National Park in our monthly data.