Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow
Barn Swallows have the broadest range of any swallow species. In addition to North America, they are found throughout Europe and Asia and south to Burma, Israel, and Northern Africa. North American Barn Swallows breed from Alaska across Canada, throughout the United States, and south through central Mexico. With the proliferation of human-provided nesting sites, the North American Barn Swallow population has increased in most places during the 20th century. Numbers are especially up in the central and eastern United States. The species has also expanded its range southward in the Gulf States, first breeding on the Florida coast in 1946.
Barn Swallow Range Map

Barn Swallows abandon their breeding range in the fall and migrate south through Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies to their wintering range in South America. A few may irregularly winter as far north as southern Florida and the southwestern United States. Returning Barn Swallows show strong fidelity to their natal site, most nesting within 20 miles of their birthplace and some much closer. Members of a pair typically stay together to raise a second brood and return in successive years to the same nest site.

Zigzagging low over fields in pursuit of flying insect prey, rarely gliding, the Barn Swallow is a highly distinctive bird. Adults have a long, deeply forked tail that distinguishes them from other swallows.

The upperparts, including the scapulars and wing coverts, are glossy blue. The rest of the wings and tail are black with a blue or blue-green gloss. On the underside of the tail are small white patches. The forehead, chin, and throat are deep rufous or chestnut colored and are separated from the lighter cinnamon-colored breast and belly by an incomplete blue breast-band. In worn plumage, the gloss of the upperparts fades and the underparts are paler. Both sexes look similar.

Juveniles look much like adults, but they have shorter, although still forked, tails. The rufous colors of the forehead, chin, and throat are paler and the underparts are whitish.