Barn swallow

Hirundo rustica · The barn swallow is a blue-backed bird with a long, deeply forked tail that lives on every continent and often nests in barns and other buildings.

Also called European Swallow.

Barn swallow
Photo: Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0
Barn swallow
Photo: Prasan Shrestha, CC BY-SA 4.0
Barn swallow
Photo: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyHirundinidae
GenusHirundo
SpeciesHirundo rustica

Where it lives

Breeds across the Northern Hemisphere; winters in the Southern Hemisphere.

Fun facts

  • One roost of barn swallows in Nigeria was estimated to hold 1.5 million birds.
  • Barn swallows drink by skimming low over a lake or river and scooping up water with their open mouths.
  • Barn swallows often nest under an osprey nest, where the ospreys' protection helps keep other birds of prey away.
  • Sailors traditionally got a swallow tattoo after sailing 5,000 nautical miles, as a symbol of a safe return.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).