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Bird name:

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rusticaOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Swallows (Hirundinidae)

Codes: Common Name: BARS Scientific Name: HIRRUS ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178448

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Barn Swallow: Medium swallow with glittering blue-black upperparts, red-brown forehead, chin and throat. Dark blue-black breast band, belly is white to orange. Tail is deeply forked with long outer streamers. Black legs and feet. It is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow in the world.

Range and Habitat

Barn Swallow: Breeds from Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland and south throughout most of the U.S.; spends winters in the tropics and Eurasia. Preferred habitats include agricultural lands, suburban areas, marshes, and lakeshores.

Topo Map: Swallow-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

" chi-dit, chi-dit", "wit-wit"

Interesting Facts

The killing of Barn Swallows for their feathers was one of the problems that led to the founding of the Audubon Society and the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Females prefer to mate with males that have the longest and most symmetrical tails and a dark red chest color.

When building the mud nest, both male and female make up to 1000 trips collecting mud.

A group of barn swallows are known collectively as a "kettle" of swallows.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Barn Swallow

● Song: " chi-dit, chi-dit", "wit-wit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Barn Swallow: Diet includes insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, beetles, and moths. Barn swallows are quite opportunistic, and are often found following tractors engaged in plowing or mowing to take advantage of disturbed insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Barn Swallow: Four to seven brown marked, white eggs are laid in a solid cup of mud reinforced with grass, lined with feathers and soft plant material, and built under or on a rafter in a building or sheltered ledge. Incubation ranges from 13 to 17 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Barn Swallow: Cliff Swallow has blue-black upperparts and squared tail. Cave Swallow has blue-black upperparts, brown rump, and squared tail.

Flight Pattern

Graceful., Swift flight with deep wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Barn Swallow: Breeds from Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland and south throughout most of the U.S.; spends winters in the tropics and Eurasia. Preferred habitats include agricultural lands, suburban areas, marshes, and lakeshores.

^BreedingMonogamous, Small colonies

^PopulationWidespread, Abundant

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.6 Ounces

Swallow-like Body

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Chin

The area of the face just below the bill.

Chest

Also called the breast area, it is the frontal area on the body containing the breastplate and major flight muscles.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Barn Swallow

Related Birds

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Swallow-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Artist

Barn Swallow

Flight Pattern