Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica): A Complete Guide to America's Favorite Swallow
The Barn Swallow, a master aerialist, is easily recognized by its distinctive forked tail.
Introduction to the Barn Swallow Bird
The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is one of the most beloved and widely recognized birds around the globe. A true herald of summer, this elegant swallow bird gracefully swoops and glides over fields and water, snatching up insects mid-flight. You’ll often spot the American Barn Swallow as it builds its mud nests on human-made structures like barns, sheds, and even under the eaves of houses. With its cheerful, chattering song and acrobatic maneuvers, it’s no wonder this bird is a favorite among birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts. This guide will help you spot this stunning bird and delve into its intriguing life.
Identification: A Forked Tail and a Flash of Blue
The Barn Swallow is a sleek, streamlined bird that is easy to identify with a little practice.
Key Features
Upperparts: A deep, iridescent blue-black, including the head and wings.
Underparts: Pale cinnamon to rufous, with a darker cinnamon throat and forehead.
Tail: The most defining feature. It's very long and deeply forked, with long outer feathers called "streamers."
Size: About 5.9-7.5 inches (15-19 cm) long.
Males and females are similar, but males typically have longer tail streamers and a deeper rufous color on their underparts. These swallows birds are often seen perched in rows on utility wires.
Barn Swallow Nest & Habitat
The Barn Swallow nest is a masterpiece of avian architecture and a key reason for the bird's name.
The Nest
The nest is a cup-shaped structure meticulously built by both parents. They collect mud pellets in their beaks and mix them with grass stems to form a solid bowl. This bowl is then lined with softer materials like feathers and fine grass. A single nest can be made of over 1,000 mud pellets. Nests are almost always built on a vertical surface under some form of overhead cover, such as inside barns, under bridges, or beneath the eaves of a house.
The classic mud cup nest of a Barn Swallow, a safe haven for its young.
Habitat
The ideal Barn Swallow habitat consists of open country for foraging—fields, meadows, and wetlands—with nearby man-made structures for nesting. This close association with humans, particularly in agricultural settings, has made it a familiar "barn bird" across North America.
Barn Swallow Sound: A Cheerful Twitter
The Barn Swallow sound is a constant, cheerful mix of twittering, warbles, and chirps. Their calls are complex and often delivered in a continuous, liquid stream, especially around the nest site or when perched. It's a classic sound of summer in rural areas.
Listen to the distinctive song of the Barn Swallow:
When alarmed, they give sharp "vit" or "splee" calls. Listening to the happy chatter of these swallows birds is a delight.
Migration: A Globe-Trotting Bird
Barn Swallows are incredible long-distance migrants. The populations that breed in North America spend the winter in Central and South America. They travel thousands of miles each way, flying during the day and feeding on insects as they go. Their return in spring is eagerly awaited as a reliable sign that warmer weather is on its way.
Diet & Feeding
Barn Swallows are aerial insectivores, meaning they feed exclusively on insects caught in flight. They are incredibly agile flyers, able to make sharp turns and dives to catch flies, beetles, wasps, and other flying insects. A single Barn Swallow can consume hundreds of insects per day, making them a very beneficial bird for controlling pest populations.
Other Types of Swallows to Know
While the Barn Swallow is distinctive, there are other types of swallow birds you might see. Here are a couple of common ones in North America:
Cliff Swallow: Often confused with the Barn Swallow. Look for a square (not forked) tail, a pale rump patch, and a dark throat. They nest in colonies, building gourd-shaped mud nests right next to each other, often under bridges or on cliffs.
Tree Swallow: Has a steely blue-green back and bright white underparts. Its tail is only slightly notched, not deeply forked. It nests in cavities, such as old woodpecker holes or birdhouses.
Conservation Status & How to Help
The Barn Swallow is listed as a species of "Least Concern" globally. However, some regional populations in North America have seen declines. The primary threats are the loss of foraging habitat (open fields and wetlands) and the reduction in insect populations due to pesticide use. The modernization of farm buildings, which often eliminates access to nesting sites, is also a problem.
You can help by leaving a barn or shed door open during the summer, providing a source of mud, and avoiding the use of pesticides in your garden.
