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Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonotaOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Swallows (Hirundinidae)
Cliff Swallow Head Illustration

Head

  • Bill Shape: All-purpose
  • Eye Color: Variable shades of dark brown, from maroon-brown to brown-black.
  • Head Pattern: Capped, Unique pattern
  • Crown Color: Blue
  • Forehead Color: White
  • Nape Color: Blue
  • Throat Color: Red-brown with black spot.
  • Cere color: No Data
Cliff Swallow Body Illustration

Body

  • Length Range: 14 cm (5.5 in)
  • Weight: 23 g (0.8 oz)
  • Size: Small (5 - 9 in)
  • Color Primary: Gray, Buff, Sheen or Iridescence
  • Underparts: White with some red-brown streaking.
  • Upperparts: Blue with white stripes and orange-brown rump.
  • Back Pattern: Striped or streaked
  • Belly Pattern: Solid
  • Breast Pattern: Solid
Cliff Swallow Flight Illustration

Flight

  • Flight Pattern: Soars on thermals and updrafts., Swift graceful flight with slow deep wing beats.
  • Wingspan Range: 30 cm (12 in)
  • Wing Shape: Tapered-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Squared Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid
  • Upper Tail: Black
  • Under Tail: Black
  • Leg Color: Gray
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Family
Species Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Length5.5 Inches
Wingspan12 Inches

Cliff Swallow

Cliff Swallow: Small, stocky swallow, dark blue-gray upperparts, pale orange-brown rump, buff underparts. Forehead is white or buff while throat, sides of face are orange-brown. Crown is blue-black, bill is short and black. Tail is dark and squared. Legs and feet are gray. Catches insects in flight.

● Song: "churr", "zarp"

● Foraging & Feeding: Cliff Swallow: Diet consists almost entirely of insects, but will occasionally gorge on berries; forages in flight.

● Breeding & nesting: Cliff Swallow: Three to six brown marked, creamy white to light pink eggs are laid in a gourd-shaped nest made of mud, lined with feathers, and built on a sheltered cliff or under an eave. Incubation ranges from 14 to 16 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Cliff Swallow: Cave Swallow has darker forehead and paler throat.

Flight Pattern

Soars on thermals and updrafts., Swift graceful flight with slow deep wing beats.
Cliff Swallow Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Cliff Swallow: Breeds from Alaska, Ontario, and Nova Scotia southward throughout most of U.S. except the southeast; spends winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include open country near buildings or cliffs, lakeshores, and marshes.
BreedingMonogamous, Large colonies
PopulationExpanding
MigrationMigratory
Weight0.8 Ounces