Did you know that cliff swallows have a call to tell other cliff swallows where they find food when food is hard to find?
Cliff Swallows
at
a Glance
Key Features:
Cliff swallows are brown birds with metallic blue backs, white foreheads, white throats, white chests, and white bellies.
Least Concern - Population Increasing
Habitat:
Grasslands, lakes, ponds, and towns
nesting habits:
Cliff swallows build nests in colonies in overhangs in buildings, caves, culverts, dams, trees, and under bridges out of mud and dry grass.
seasons cliff swallows are active in our area:
Spring, fall
Diet:
Insects
hunting Behavior:
Cliff swallows hunt flying insects in the air.
commonly confused with:
Barn Swallows, Cave Swallows, Chimney Swifts, Northern Rough-Winged Swallows, and Vaux’s Swifts
Cliff swallows are often confused with barn swallows because the birds have similar coloration. Cliff swallows have pale foreheads. Barn swallows have rusty foreheads.
Cliff swallows are often confused with chimney swifts because both hunt in the air. Cliff swallows have white underparts. Chimney swifts have longer narrower wings.