Barn Swallow
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Hirundinidae Genus: Hirundo
Species: Hirundo rustica
The Barn Swallow is a graceful flier that can easily be identified by its silhouette due to its forked tail and long, curved wings. It mainly nests on manmade structures, and it builds its nests by plastering mud on flat surfaces such as walls or overhanging beams, and especially underneath bridges. Sometimes older siblings or even unrelated juveniles may help the parents feed and raise chicks, but unmated, mature males may kill the young of other Barn Swallows in the hope of stealing the female. The Barn Swallow does almost everything while flying, and it even drinks and bathes by swooping down to the surface of the water. When it hunts, it mainly takes large insects rather than swarms of smaller prey, and it snatches them from the air.
Conservation status: Least concern
Description: Dark blue-black above and rusty below with a long forked tail
Length: 6-7 inches
Wingspan: 14 inches
Diet: Flies, beetles, bees, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths, and other flying insects
Habitat: Open areas, fields, and parks
Season: Spring-Fall
Credit source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
