North American field guide
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Identification
Field notes
15-20 cm (6-8") Common in marshes, lakeshores, suburban and agricultural land.
Dark blue-black above, cinnamon or buffy below. Reddish-brown forehead, chin and throat. Long, deeply forked tail with white tail spots.
Builds mud nests inside farm buildings, in culverts and under bridges.
Familiar on wires or as an agile flyer hawking for insects by skimming over land or water.
Song: long and twittering.
Details in the field
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Barn Swallow
Credit: Larry BondBarn Swallows On Mailbox
Credit: TDtangentsWhere it lives
Distribution maps
Source legend · original intervals
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Unshaded in source · does not imply absence
Generic and winter maps may use different intervals.
Bird Advisor Identification rules 1 variant · 1 rule
These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.
Barn Swallow
1 ruleRule 1 11 criteria · confidence 7
- What SIZE was the TAIL ?
- Long · Very Long · Unknown
- What SHAPE was the TAIL ?
- Forked · Unknown
- What colour was the BELLY ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Rufous (dull-red or rust-colored) · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Unknown
- What colour was the BREAST ?
- White, or pale (grayish-white) · Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Rufous (dull-red or rust-colored) · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Unknown
- What colour was the THROAT ?
- Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Red, or pink · Rufous (dull-red or rust-colored) · Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Unknown
- What SHAPE was the BILL ?
- Straight and thick · Hooked · Downcurved · Unknown
- What LENGTH was the BILL ?
- Very short
- What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?
- Blue · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
- How BIG was the bird ?
- Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized
- What TYPE of bird was seen ?
- Swallow-like
- WHEN was the bird seen ?
- Spring · Summer · Fall