Welcome Swallow

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The welcome swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that is native to Australia and nearby islands. It has self-introduced into New Zealand in the middle of the twentieth century. It is very similar to the Pacific swallow with which it is often considered conspecific.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

1. 01

   Rusty-red forehead, throat, and upper breast

   Distinctive rufous-orange colour forming a prominent bib, contrasting sharply with the dark upperparts and pale grey belly.

2. 02

   Deeply forked tail with long outer streamers

   A classic swallow-tail shape with prominent, elongated outer tail feathers, especially visible in flight.

3. 03

   White spots on inner tail feathers

   Small, distinct white spots visible on the inner webs of the tail feathers, often most apparent when the tail is fanned.

4. 04

   Glossy metallic blue-black back and wings

   The entire upperside, including crown, back, and wings, shows an iridescent, deep blue-black sheen in good light.