Alternative Names (Synonyms)

• Swallow.
• Common swallow.
• House swallow.
• Rustic swallow.
• Boerenzwaluw (Holland).
• Hirondelle rustique (France).
• Rauchschwalbe (Germany).
• Rondine (Italy).
• Golondrina común (Spain).
• Ladusvala (Sweden).
• Hirundo rustica rustica - Eurasian swallow (B89)
• Hirundo rustica erythrogaster - Barn swallow (B89)

(B19, B162)

Names for newly-hatched

Names for non-breeding males or other colour-phases

References

Species Author

Species Editor

Major References

Aviculture references:

• Wildlife and Countryside Directorate, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR)
• British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)
• The Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

• --

TAXA Group (where information has been collated for an entire group on a modular basis)

Parent Group

• Swallows, Swifts, Nightjars.

Specific Needs Group referenced in Management Techniques

Aviculture Information

Notes

• Accommodation of Casualty Swift, Nightjar, Swallow & Martins
• Hand-rearing Swallow & Martins
• Catching and Handling of Swift, Nightjar, Swallow & Martins
• Feeding of Casualty Swift, Nightjar, Swallow and Martins
• Release of Casualty Swift, Nightjar, Swallow and Martins

Measurement & Weight

• General: 17-19cm (B162); 17-21cm (B164); 16cm ( B165); 16-22cm / 6.5-8.5 ins. (B166)

Tail-length:

• General: 2-7cm (B162); 3-6.5cm. (B164)

Wingspan:

• General: 32-34.5cm. (B162)

Winglength:

• General: --
• Male: 120-129mm. (B162)
• Female: 118-125mm. (B162)

Head

Legs

Plumage

• Upperparts: Glossy blue-black.
• Head: Crown glossy blue-black; face red; eyemask black.
• Underparts: Throat red; collar glossy blue-black; breast  pale creamy-pink; belly pale creamy-pink.
• Wings: Upper glossy blue-black; underside (coverts) pale creamy-pink; underside (flight feathers) dark grey.
• Tail: Long with forked streamers; upper glossy blue-black; under glossy blue-black with oval white patches.

(B162, B164, B166)

• Tail: Shorter with broader forked streamers.

(B164)

• Head: Face buffy-red.
• Tail: Shorter with forked streamers.

(B164)

Newly-hatched Characteristics

Nest placement and structure

• Solitary or in small colonies.
• In buildings, rarely in caves.
• Shallow, open cup of mud and vegetation lined with feathers.
• 20cm wide and 10cm deep.
• Stuck to wall or structural beam, 2-5m above ground.

(B162, B163, B166)

Egg clutches

(B162, B163, B166)

Incubation

Hatching

Fledging

Sexual Maturity

Feeding Behaviour

Parental Behaviour

Remain dependant on parents for several weeks. Young of first brood may be co-operative breeders, helping to rear the second brood. (B163)

Social Behaviour

• Highly gregarious outside breeding season.

(B162)

Sexual Behaviour

• Monogamous pair bond, usually seasonal, though may be lifelong.
• Some males are polygynous, mating with more than one female in the colony.
• Breeding colonies rarely larger than 4 pairs.

(B162, B163)

Predation in Wild

Activity Patterns

• Aerial.
• Takes off and lands on buildings.

(B166)

Adults

• Flying insects.

(B162, B163, B166)

Newly-hatched

Distribution and Movement (Migration etc.)

• Fluctuating population, mainly stable throughout western Palearctic, Asia, south-east Asia and India, North America
• Britain: Common and widespread summer visitor.

Migration:

• European and Asian populations overwinter in Africa, south of the Sahara desert.
• Some winter residents in Mediterranean area.

(B162, B163, B166)

• Holarctic: Generally winters in the southern hemisphere (Africa, northern Australia, South America) (B89)

--

Habitat

• Farmlands and pastures.
• Rural and urban gardens.
• Freshwater marshland and moors.
• Avoids dense woodland.

(B162, B163, B166)

Intraspecific variation

• Hirundo rustica transitiva; (Lebanon, southern Syria, Israel); rusty-pink or rufous-buff underparts; smaller.

(B162)

Conservation Status

Currently declining, though subject to wide fluctuations. Widespread on a global basis. (B162, B163)

Captive Populations

Trade