Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

Order PASSERIFORMES - Family HIRUNDINIDAE - Subfamily Hirundininae

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

A familiar inhabitant of barns and other outbuildings, the Barn Swallow is easily recognized by its long forked tail. It was originally a cave breeder, but now the swallow nests almost exclusively on man-made structures.

Cool Facts

• The Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. It breeds throughout the northern hemisphere and winters in much of the southern hemisphere.

• The long tail of a Barn Swallow may indicate the quality of the individual bird. Females prefer to mate with males that have the longest and most symmetrical tails.

• An unmated male Barn Swallow may kill the nestlings of a nesting pair. His actions often succeed in breaking up the pair and afford him the opportunity to mate with the female.

• Female Barn Swallows favor males that have a darker reddish chest color.

Description

• Size: 15-19 cm (6-7 in)
• Wingspan: 29-32 cm (11-13 in)
• Weight: 17-20 g (0.6-0.71 ounces)

• Small slender songbird.
• Tail long and forked.
• Upperparts steely iridescent blue.
• Underparts rufous.

• Forehead and throat chestnut.
• Wings long.
• Bill small and black.
• Legs and feet tiny.
• Acrobatic flier.

Sex Differences

Sexes look similar, but males are deeper chestnut on underparts and have longer tail streamers.

Immature

Juvenile looks similar to adult, but tail shorter and less forked. Underparts paler.

Similar Species

• Only North American swallow with a long forked tail.
• Cliff Swallow can be confused with short-tailed juvenile Barn Swallow. Cliff Swallow has a square tail, a pale collar around the nape, a pale rump, and is less rusty.

Sound

Song: a twittery series of squeaky notes, often with dry rattle in the middle.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds from southern Alaska through Canada, throughout the United States, except for the peninsula of Florida, where it is a local breeder, and parts of desert Southwest. Southward into central Mexico. Also throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. Small breeding colony in Argentina.

Winter Range

Southern Mexico through Central America and throughout lowland South America.

Habitat

• Found in many habitats with open areas for foraging and structures for nesting, including agricultural areas, cities, and along highways. Needs mud for nest building.

Food

Flying insects.

Behavior

Foraging

Catches insects in flight, often low to the ground.

Reproduction

Nest Type

An open cup of mud and grass. Lined with fine grass stems, hair, and feathers. Nest is fastened to a vertical wall under an overhang or placed on a ledge.

Egg Description

Creamy white with small dark spots.

Clutch Size

Usually 3-7 eggs.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless, with tufts of down.

Conservation Status

The Barn Swallow has benefited greatly from human activity. Artificial structures have allowed it to move into new areas and nest in higher densities than ever before. As a result, populations are much greater than they were before European settlement of North America. You can help scientists learn more about this species by participating in the Celebrate Urban Birds! project.

Other Names

Hirondelle des granges, Hirondelle rustique, Hirondelle de cheminée (French)
Golondrina ranchera, Golondrina tijerela (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Brown, C. R., and M. B. Brown. 1999. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). In The Birds of North America, No. 452 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.