American Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Also known as: Cliff Swallow
Habitat
Aerial
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
22 g
About This Species
Look for these swallows nesting in dense colonies of gourd-shaped mud nests plastered under bridges, eaves and cliff overhangs, often near open water or fields where they forage on the wing. Large numbers wheeling and chattering around a colony in the early morning or evening make for the most dramatic viewing. Spring through late summer, during the breeding season, is when colonies are most active and easiest to find.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Observe active colonies from at least 10 to 15 metres and avoid direct approach to nest structures, since disturbance can cause adults to abandon eggs or chicks.
- Migratory bird protections apply across much of its range in North and South America, though specific rules and enforcement differ by country, so treat any nesting colony as sensitive rather than assuming a particular law applies.
- Avoid loud noises or bright lights near colonies at dawn or dusk when birds are settling for the night.
LCAvesPasseriformesHirundinidae
Seasonal Activity
2,197,634 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Aerial
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 22 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.