Species

Cliff swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

A square-tailed swallow that builds gourd-shaped mud nests in colonies on bridges and dams.

Photo Xochitl Zambrano (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Nesting

At a glance

Size: About 13 to 15 cm long
Weight: About 19 to 34 g
Habitat: Bridges, dams, buildings and cliffs near water and open ground
Diet: Flying insects
In Georgia: A locally common summer resident, increasing
Voice: Squeaky chattering
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Square tail; pale buff rump; dark throat; pale forehead
Told apart from: Barn swallow, which has a long forked tail and no pale rump
Where to look: Colonies on bridges over rivers and reservoirs

Behaviour

Cliff swallows build gourd-shaped nests from hundreds of mud pellets, in colonies that can number in the hundreds. Birds sometimes lay eggs in neighbours' nests.

Why they matter

Cliff swallows have spread across Georgia by nesting on bridges and dams. Their colonies are studies in cooperation and conflict, with neighbours sharing information about food.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A gourd-shaped mud nest with a tunnel entrance, in colonies
Eggs — Usually four or five
Incubation — About 14 to 16 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 20 to 25 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Mud nests on bridges and buildings are protected while active.

Misconceptions

Mud nests on bridges are made by wasps. Large gourd-shaped mud nests are cliff swallows'.

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	In South America	Arriving	Building nests	Nesting	Young fledging	Migrating south	Last birds	In South America	In South America	In South America

Where it lives

Recorded in 89 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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