Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Also known as: Swallow, Christmas Bird, Eurasian Swallow, European Swallow, Oreneta Vulgar
Habitat
Mid-canopy
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
18 g
About This Species
This slender, deeply forked-tailed swallow is a familiar sight skimming low over farmland, water, and open fields across much of the Northern Hemisphere, catching insects on the wing with fast, agile turns. It nests in mud cups built onto barn rafters, eaves, bridges, and other structures, so farmyards and open outbuildings are reliable places to watch it feeding nearby, especially at dawn and dusk when insect activity peaks. Its cheerful twittering song and streamer-like tail make it easy to pick out from other swallow species in flight.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watch feeding birds from a comfortable distance in open ground rather than approaching a nest directly, and avoid lingering under an active mud nest, since repeated disturbance can cause adults to abandon eggs or chicks.
- Active nests on buildings are legally protected during the breeding season in both the United States and the United Kingdom, meaning an occupied nest cannot be removed or destroyed while in use even if it is inconveniently placed; check local rules before doing any building work near one.
- Elsewhere in its range, protections vary, so treat any active nest as off-limits until the young have left.
Seasonal Activity
15,902,901 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Hirundinidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Mid-canopy
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 18 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.