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The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world, occurring on all continents, with vagrants reported even in Antarctica. [2] [3] It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply forked tail.
An artificial purple martin nesting colony The barn swallow is the national bird of Estonia. [48] They also are one of the most depicted birds on postage stamps around the world. [49] [50] [51] Swallows coexist well with humans because of their beneficial role as insect eaters, and some species have readily adapted to nesting in and around ...
The purple martin (Progne subis) is a passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae.It is the largest swallow in North America. Despite its name, the purple martin is not truly purple.
The red-chested swallow (Hirundo lucida) is a small non-migratory passerine bird found in West Africa, the Congo Basin and Ethiopia. It has a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. [2] It was formerly considered a subspecies of the closely resembling barn swallow.
The cliff swallow or American cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. [2] The generic name Petrochelidon is derived from the Ancient Greek petros meaning "stone" and khelidon (χελιδών) "swallow", and the specific name pyrrhonota comes from purrhos meaning "flame-coloured" and -notos "-backed".
Delichon urbicum. The western house martin (Delichon urbicum), sometimes called the common house martin, northern house martin or, particularly in Europe, just house martin, is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, north Africa and across the Palearctic; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia.
This species is a small swallow at 18–25 centimetres (7.1–9.8 in). The adult birds have a highly lustrous dark metallic steel-blue appearance with long tail streamers, which are particularly noticeable in males. White feathers are visible on the rump and flanks when the birds are preening and especially during courtship.
These birds feed on insects which are almost all caught in the air and the species rarely lands on the ground, rather perching on wires and twigs. The typical flight is slow and buoyant. [2] Like the closely related red-rumped and mosque swallows, the nests of the red-breasted swallow are often usurped by the white-rumped swift. [3]