A swallow with a small rufous patch on the forehead and a diagnostic complete steel-blue breast band which forms a white throat patch. This migrant breeds in South Africa in the Austral summer, September to April, and spends the non-breeding period (May to August) in south-central Africa. It prefers foraging in pairs or groups, sometimes with other swallow species, in grassland, light woodland, and floodplains, and is often seen perching on fences or on posts near water.