The Madagascar martin (Riparia cowani) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that is found in montane Madagascar. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the brown-throated martin (Riparia paludicola).

Madagascar martin
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Genus: Riparia
Species:
R. cowani
Binomial name
Riparia cowani
(Sharpe, 1882)

Taxonomy

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The Madagascar martin was formally described in 1882 by the English ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe based on specimens collected by the Scottish naturalist William Deans Cowan in montane southeast Madagascar. Sharpe coined the binomial name Cotile cowani, choosing the specific epithet to honour the collector.[2][3] It is now one of six martins placed in the genus Riparia that was introduced in 1817 by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster. The Madagascar martin was formerly considered to be conspecific with the brown-throated martin (Riparia paludicola) but was split based on the different morphology and vocalization. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[4]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2017). "Riparia paludicola". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103815494A112879855. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T103815494A112879855.en. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  2. ^ Sharpe, R. Bowdler (1882). "On a new species of sand-martin (Cotile) from Madagascar". Journal of the Linnean Society of London. Zoology. 16 (92): 322–323. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1882.tb02285.x.
  3. ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 97.
  4. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Swallows". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 31 January 2024.