General

Cave Swallow: Small swallow (Southwest pelodoma), with steel-blue upperparts, white underparts, and rufous wash on breast and sides. Forehead is chestnut-brown and throat and rump are buff. Tail is square. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Cave Swallow: Breeds in southern Texas, southeastern New Mexico, and rarely in southern Arizona. Spends winters in tropics. Preferred habitats include open country near caves and cliffs.

Breeding and Nesting

Cave Swallow: Three to five white eggs marked with brown are laid in a nest made of clay pellets and mud, lined with grass and a few feathers, and plastered to the side of a cave, sinkhole, bridge, culvert, building, or even a drainage pipe. Incubation ranges from 15 to 18 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Cave Swallow: Feeds on insects; forages in flight.

Vocalization

Cave Swallow: Song is a series of dry warbling, buzzing chatters. Call is "chu-chu" or "zweih."

Similar Species

Cave Swallow: Cliff Swallow has chestnut-brown throat and white forehead, or, in the southwest, a chestnut-brown forehead.