Species

Barn swallow

Hirundo rustica

A glossy blue swallow with a deeply forked tail that builds mud nests under eaves, bridges and barns.

Photo Unknown photographer (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC0 1.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 15 to 19 cm long
Weight: About 17 to 20 g
Habitat: Farms, fields, bridges, docks and towns near open ground
Diet: Flying insects
In Georgia: A common summer resident, March to October
Voice: A cheerful twittering
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Glossy dark blue back; rusty throat and forehead; buff underparts; long, deeply forked tail
Told apart from: Cliff swallow, which has a square tail and a pale rump
Told apart from: Tree swallow, which is white below with a short tail
Where to look: Swooping low over fields and water; nesting under eaves and bridges

Behaviour

Barn swallows fly low and fast over fields and water, catching insects. They build cup nests of mud pellets under eaves, bridges and in barns.

Why they matter

The barn swallow is the most widespread swallow in the world. It has nested on human structures for so long that it now rarely uses natural sites, and it eats huge numbers of flying insects around farms.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A cup of mud pellets and grass on a ledge or wall
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 13 to 17 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents; young from earlier broods sometimes help
Flight — At about 18 to 23 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

A nest under a porch or eave lasts only a few weeks; a board under it catches droppings.
Barn swallows are protected; active nests may not be removed.

Misconceptions

Swallows swooping low mean rain. They follow insects, which fly lower in humid weather.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	In South America	In South America	Arriving	Nesting	Chicks	Second broods	Young fledging	Flocks gathering	Migrating south	Last birds	In South America	In South America

Where it lives

Recorded in 95 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

Canada

If you found one

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