Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a species of bird in the family Hirundinidae. It features a bluish-black upper body, a long, forked tail, and strong legs—though these are not robust enough for the bird to remain in flight continuously all day, leading it to frequently perch in large flocks on power lines and man-made structures.

H. rustica has a total body length of 17–19 cm, with outer tail feathers extending an additional 2–7 cm; it has a wingspan of 32–34.5 cm and weighs 16–22 grams. The upper body is bluish-black, while the underparts are white, marked by long, curved streaks that extend toward the abdomen.



The forehead, chin, and throat are reddish-brown. The long, forked tail features white markings along the outer edges. Females have shorter tails and paler underparts. Juveniles tend to be more brownish in appearance, with whiter underparts and lacking the long, forked tail.

This species favors open areas, such as grasslands and agricultural land, located near water sources, at elevations of up to 3,000 meters. They typically hunt for prey—including insects, large flies, aphids, and flying ants—in open spaces, whether over land or shallow water.

Females lay 2–7 reddish-white eggs, measuring 20 x 14 mm and weighing 1.9 grams (5% of which is the shell). The incubation period lasts 14–19 days, followed by an 18–23-day period until the chicks fledge. The parents continue to feed their offspring for one week before the birds migrate. Both sexes can vocalize, producing sounds such as "witt" or "witt-witt," as well as a sharp "splee-plink" when the bird is excited or attempting to drive an intruder away from its nest. Alarm calls include a sharp "siflitt" used when encountering predators like cats, and a "flitt-flitt" sound when faced with birds of prey, such as falcons. This species tends to be quiet while in its wintering grounds.

These birds are not particularly fast fliers; their flight speed ranges from approximately 11 m/s (40 km/h) to 20 m/s (72 km/h), with a wing-beat frequency of about 5 times per second, which can increase to 7–9 times per second.

They forage in open areas at an altitude of 7–8 meters above shallow water or the ground. They often follow animals, humans, or agricultural machinery to catch insects that have been flushed out; they may also snatch prey from the surface of water, walls, or vegetation. Large flies make up about 70% of their diet, with aphids serving as another significant component. Grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, beetles, and moths are also included in their prey.

Males return to the breeding grounds earlier than females and select a nest site, which they then point out to females by flying in circles while vocalizing. Plumage also plays a role in attracting a mate; darker underparts and longer tail feathers are associated with greater breeding success. Females gain an indirect fitness advantage through this selection, as longer tail feathers indicate a genetically stronger individual, which is likely to produce offspring with greater vitality.

Both sexes participate in defending the nest, though males tend to be more aggressive and highly protective of their territory. Once paired, they typically remain together for life, though extra-pair copulations—mating outside the established pair bond—occur frequently. Males actively guard their mates to prevent infidelity; a male may even issue a false alarm call to thwart another male attempting to mate with his partner.

A neat, cup-shaped nest is constructed on a beam or attached to a suitable vertical surface. Both sexes participate in building the nest, using clumps of mud carried in their beaks, and lining the interior with grass, feathers, algae, or other soft materials. A male’s nest-building ability also serves as a factor in sexual selection: females tend to lay more eggs—and do so earlier in the season—when their mate is a skilled nest-builder, whereas this is less likely if the male lacks such proficiency. Once the nests are complete, these birds may nest in colonies, provided there is a sufficient number of high-quality nesting sites. Within such a colony, each pair defends a territory surrounding its own nest, typically spanning an area of 4–8 m².

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Genus: Hirundo Linnaeus (1758)
Species: Hirundo rustica Linnaeus (1758)
Subspecies:
H. r. rustica: Europe, the Arctic Circle, North Africa, the Middle East, Sikkim, India
H. r. transitiva (Ernst Hartert, 1910): The Middle East, Turkey, Israel, Africa
H. r. savignii (James Stephens, 1817): Egypt
H. r. gutturalis (Giovanni Antonio Scopoli, 1786): The Himalayas, Japan, Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, Alaska
H. r. tytleri (Thomas Jerdon, 1864): Siberia, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia
H. r. saturata (Ridgway, 1883): Siberia, Southeast Asia
H. r. mandschurica (Meise, 1934): China, Southeast Asia
H. r. erythrogaster (Pieter Boddaert, 1783): Alaska, Mexico, Lesser Antilles, Costa Rica, Panama, South America

SYNONYMS

Chelidon rustica Linnaeus (1758)
Hirundo erythrogaster Boddaert (1783)

PUBLICATIONS

Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata [10th revised edition], vol. 1: 824 pp. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae.

VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Boereswael, Europese Swael
Arabic: خطاف المخازن - سنونو المخازن - عصفور الجنة المخازن
Armenian: Գյուղական ծիծեռնակ
Assamese: অসমীয়া
Asturian: andulina
Basque: Enara arrunta
Belarusian: Вясковая ластаўка
Bulgarian: Селска лястовица
Catalan: Oreneta vulgar, Oronella Comuna
Chinese (simplified): 家燕
Chinese (traditional): 家燕
Chuvash: Ял чĕкеçĕ - Ял чӗкеҫӗ
Circassian: ПцӀащхъуэ
Circassian: ПцӀащхъуэ
Croatian: Lastavica, Lastavica pokućarka
Czech: Vlaštovka obecná
Danish: Landsvale
Dutch: Boerenzwaluw
Eastern Mari: вараксим
English: Barn Swallow, Common Swallow, European Swallow
Esperanto: Kamphirundo
Estonian: Suitsupääsuke
Extremaduran: Andorina
Faroese: Svala
Finnish: Haarapääsky
French: Hirondelle de cheminée, Hirondelle rustique, Hirondelle des granges
Galician: Andoriña
German: Gabelschwalbe, Hausschwalbe, Rauchschwalbe
Greek: Σταβλοχελίδονο
Greenlandic: Tulugarnaq
Hebrew: סנונית רפתות
Hill Mari: Сола цӹгӓк,
Hindi: खलिहान निगल
Hong Kong: 家燕
Hungarian: Füsti fecske, Füstifecske
Icelandic: Landsvala
Indonesian: Layang-layang asia, Layang-layang api
Irish: Fáinleog
Italian: Rondine, Rondine comune
Japanese: アカハラツバメ - ツバメ - 燕
Java: Sriti, Manuk sriti
Kalaallisut: Tulugarnaq
Kazakh: Қыстау қарлығашы
Korean: 제비
Latvian: Bezdelīga
Lezghian: чархи чубарук
Lithuanian: Šelmeninė kregždė
Luxembourgish: Schaarschtechschmuewel, Stallschmuewel
Macao: 家燕
Macedonian: Селска ластовица
Maharashtra: माळभिंगरी
Malayalam: വയൽക്കോതിക്കത്രിക
Marathi: माळभिंगरी - मराठी
Northern Frisian: Hüsswaalk
Norwegian: Låvesvale
Ojibwe: Zhaashaawanibiisi
Palauan: Tsubame
Polish: Dymówka
Portuguese: Andorinha-das-chaminés, Andorinha-de-bando
Romanian: Rândunică
Russian: Деревенская ласточка
Serbian: Сеоска ласта
Slovak: Lastovička obyčajná
Slovenian: Kmečka lastovka
Spanish: Golondrina Cola de Tijera, Golondrina bermeja, Golondrina común, Golondrina horquillada, Golondrina tijereta, Golondrina tijerita
Swedish: Ladusvala
Taiwan: 家燕
Tamil: தகைவிலான் - தரையில்லாக் குருவி
Thai: นกนางแอ่นบ้าน
Tswana: Peolane
Turkish: İs Kırlangıcı, Kır Kırlangıcı
Ukrainian: Ластівка сільська
Welsh: Gwennol

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium