White-thighed Swallow Atticora tibialis

The White-thighed Swallow is small (about 10 g) and dark, with the white tufts on its legs implied by its name. The sexes are alike, and juveniles are similar to adults save for the presence of pale feather edges on the underparts on juveniles. Although the White-thighed Swallow is common in some areas, it is rarely seen over most of its range, and its distribution—like much of its life history—is poorly known.

An aerial insectivore, it forages at forest edges near water, above the forest canopy, and even around farms and along roads. It is usually seen in pairs or small flocks, and often calls "zeet-zeet" while foraging. Although it will forage and nest near human activity, it does not nest in human structures. It breeds in tree cavities and disused burrows in banks; the nest is a pad of dry grass.

Three subspecies are recognized. The subspecies minima is smaller than nominate tibialis; the subspecies griseiventris is distinguished by greyer underparts. Subspecies minima occurs in Panama, Colombia, and western Ecuador; tibialis in southeastern Brazil; and griseiventris in southern Colombia, southeastern Venezuela, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and western Brazil. Chiefly because of this large range, the White-thighed Swallow is considered to be of low conservation priority, although population sizes and trends are unknown.