The Barn Swallow

The Barn Swallow is a tall, slender bird measuring 6 ½ to 7 ½ inches in length. Its upper parts are a dark metallic blue with its chest and belly a cinnamon-buff color. Its chin and throat are a dark reddish-brown. The Barn Swallow's most distinctive feature is its deeply forked tail.

The female is similar in appearance, but the tail streamers are shorter and her feathers lack the metallic sheen. The juvenile is more brown than blue and its belly is more white than cinnamon-buff. It also lacks the tail streamers of the adult Barn Swallow.

The Barn Swallow prefers the open country such as farmlands, pastures, and meadows. It avoids densely wooded areas and usually settles in areas that have accessible open structures such as barns and stables.

During the summer it can be seen from one end of the country to the other. It is a migratory bird spending the winters in the Southern Hemisphere. It can be seen as far south as Argentina and Australia.

The male Barn Swallow returns to the breeding grounds ahead of the females. He will select a nest site and then advertise it to the arriving females by circling and singing. Males with the longest tail streamers had the most success attracting a mate. Males with the longer tail streamers generally live longer and are more disease resistant. Genetically he's the better match. Once a pair is established, they stay together, but extra-pair copulation is common.

They nest in large colonies. The nests are built by both the male and female. They are made of mud and usually lined with grass and feathers. It is attached to rafters or walls of open structures such as barns and stables. If access to a structure is denied, they may build the nests under the eaves or other sheltered areas such as porches and decks.

Female usually lays 4 to 5 eggs which are white with reddish spots. They are incubated primarily by the female and hatch within 14 to 19 days and leave the next 18 to 23 days after that. They usually produce two broods a season and use the nest time and time again.

The Barn Swallow is an aerial insectivore catching its meals on the fly. It in not a fast flyer but is agile. The bulk of its diet is made up of flies, aphids, ants, and mosquitoes. The Barn Swallow has been known to follow along behind farm machinery feasting on the insects it disturbs. During breeding season they hunt in mated pairs but will form large flocks the rest of the time.

The song of the Barn Swallow is a cheerful warble. Its calls include a witt-witt with a loud splee-plink when excited. It has different alarm calls for different situations. You can hear a loud siflitt when cats are lurking in the area and flitt-flitt signals the presence of a bird of prey.

Listen to the call of the Barn Swallow: Sound Byte: Barn Swallow, National Park Service

Common Birds and Their Songs (Book and Audio CD)

This book-audio package provides a unique introduction to fifty of the most familiar birds of North America and the songs they sing. Common Birds and Their Songs will be valuable to anyone interested in birds, from beginner to expert. It's the perfect gift for any birder - or anyone with a bird feeder.

1. The Barn Swallows gather in communal roosts after breeding season with the numbers reaching into the thousands.

2. The Barn Swallow drinks by skimming low over lakes and rivers and scooping up water in its open mouth.

3. The Barn Swallows will mob an intruder wandering too close to their nesting site.