BirdUp · Species
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLinnaeus, 1758
- Order
- PASSERIFORMES
- Family
- Hirundinidae
- Genus
- Hirundo
At a glance
The Barn Swallow is a small bird, about 15–18 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 15–18 cm
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Very common
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Barn Swallow look like?
The Barn Swallow is a small bird, about 15–18 cm long and weighing 16–24 g.
The barn swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world, occurring on all continents, with vagrants reported even in Antarctica. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply forked tail. In Anglophone Europe, it is just called the swallow; in northern Europe, it is the only member of family Hirundinidae called a "swallow" rather than a "martin".
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Barn Swallow?
The Barn Swallow is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Barn Swallow eat?
The Barn Swallow feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or alone.
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