The African river swallow is a bird of the swallow family with a very wide beak. It lives in colonies along the banks of large rivers in Central Africa.
The African river swallow differs from other swallows by its very wide beak and life near rivers. It is important for nature because it eats a large number of insects and serves as part of the food chain in river ecosystems.
Low precipitation in winter
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Offspring
Tropical moist forest
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
Taxons
if born as {name}
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Close
very hot and very humid all year round, rain almost every day
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Neotropical realm
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
adult
Maturity
primary food sources
South and Central America, hot and humid, huge forests
burrow
Beak size
Potential Habitat
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Repro interval
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
aerial
islands and part of Australia, many unusual animals and plants
live flies, horseflies, dipterans
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
hot, rains in summer, little precipitation in winter
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
Always hot
No results found
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
riverbank
Trophic type
Filters
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
insectivore
always hot and humid, huge trees and vines
Upcoming birthdays
world of Afrotropics
termites
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Beak count
birth year
Maturity
Age (juvenile)
live dragonflies and damselflies
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
flying insects
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Hot, little precipitation in winter
Beak color
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
Age (larva)
Feeding occurs in open air space above ground or water.
How similar?
Wings size
world of Australasia
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
insects caught in flight — flies, moths, beetles
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
flies
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
young after fast growth
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
early young
Plumage color
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
world of Afrotropics
end of lifespan
Wings color
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Always hot and wet
This is me
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Gamers
flight
Pets
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
dragonflies
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
cm
live termites
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
active predation
turns
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Rascals
Where do they take shelter?
terrestrial forest
celebrated their {n} birthday
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
very hot all year round, frequent rains, but sometimes dry
Litter size
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Capturing or collecting food while airborne.
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Where are they found?
embryo
Orange
38 to 65 grams, 15 – 40 centimeters
Length
kg
Down color
Observations
◉{N} more on tap