Overview
Cliff Swallow: Small, stocky swallow, dark blue-gray upperparts, pale orange-brown rump, buff underparts. Forehead is white or buff while throat, sides of face are orange-brown. Crown is blue-black, bill is short and black. Tail is dark and squared. Legs and feet are gray. Catches insects in flight.
Range and Habitat
Cliff Swallow: Breeds from Alaska, Ontario, and Nova Scotia southward throughout most of U.S. except the southeast; spends winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include open country near buildings or cliffs, lakeshores, and marshes.
Swallows (Hirundinidae)
ORDER
The swallows are one of the one hundred eighteen families of birds in the order PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez); a large taxonomic order that includes waxwings, tanagers, finches, and swallows.
FAMILY TAXONOMY
A family distributed almost everywhere, the Hirundinidae (pronounced hir-un-DIN-uh-dee) are composed of eighty-eight species of swallows in nineteen genera.
NORTH AMERICA
There are twenty-two species of swallows in North America in nine genera. North American swallow species include the well known Barn Swallow, the Cave Swallow, and the Purple Martin.
KNOWN FOR
The swallows are best known for their graceful, swooping flight and for nesting in barns, under bridges, and in an on other human-made structures. The Purple Martins of eastern North America are well known for colonial nesting in “martin houses” put up for this purpose.
PHYSICAL
The long, pointed wings and streamlined bodies of swallows are adaptations for their aerial lifestyle. These small birds have medium length to long tails that can be squared or forked in shape. Their bills are short with wide gapes, and their legs short with small feet.
COLORATION
Swallows come in variety of colors, the juveniles of most species and females of Progne genus martins with duller plumage in general. Depending on the species, adults have iridescent plumages in shades of green, blue, violet, and deep purple, while others are plain brown in coloration. Reddish orange plumage occurs on the underparts, throats and heads of some species, others have snow white underparts, and the Cliff and Cave Swallows have white streaks on their backs.
GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT
This family is found throughout North America except for the most northern of tundra habitats. Swallows utilize a wide variety of non-forest habitats, but are most common around rivers, lakes, and other wetlands that provide abundant food in the form of flying insects and nesting sites in the form of bridges, riverbanks, and dead snags.
MIGRATION
Most swallow species are long distance migrants to Central and South America.
HABITS
Swallows are very social birds, many species nesting in colonies and foraging in flocks. They nest in holes in the banks of rivers and lakes, in dead snags, and also build mud nests in caves, cliffs, and on structures such as bridges, barns and buildings. Foraging for flying insects and other arthropods is done in the air with fast, graceful, swooping flight.
CONSERVATION
In North America, no swallow species are threatened. This might be related to their preference for open, non-forest habitats, and their ability to nest on human-built structures.
INTERESTING FACTS
Some populations of the Purple Martin became adapted to breeding in gourds set out by Native Americans before Europeans arrived. Eventually, they became so used to breeding in structures set up by people that in eastern North America they no longer use natural cavities. Natural cavities are mostly used by populations in western North America, however, which might explain why they are much more local in occurrence in that region.