BirdTab LogoBirdTab

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Swallows
Barn Swallow, photographed by Yerpo

Photo: Yerpo · Wikimedia · CC-BY-SA 4.0 (licence)

Add to my checklistRange map and sightings on eBird

Call and song

About the Barn Swallow

A fairly large, colorful swallow. Usually easy to identify with its long, forked tail and dark rump. Iridescent navy-blue above with a rich orange throat and forehead. Underparts vary across range, from bright buffy-orange to whitish. Occurs in any open habitat, especially large fields and wetlands. Often seen foraging in flocks, sometimes mixed with other species of swallow. Typically nests close to human habitation; builds a muddy cup nest in a barn or under a dock. Listen for dry, scratchy “svit svit” calls. Note head and breast pattern and tail length to help separate from various similar species in Africa, Asia, and Australia (e.g., Welcome Swallow, Angolan Swallow, Pacific Swallow).

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 227 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

More swallows