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Cave Swallow

Petrochelidon fulvaOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Swallows (Hirundinidae)

Cave Swallow (southwest) Breeding Male Portrait
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General

Cave Swallow: Small swallow (Southwest pelodoma), with steel-blue upperparts, white underparts, and rufous wash on breast and sides. Forehead is chestnut-brown and throat and rump are buff. Tail is square. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Cave Swallow: Breeds in southern Texas, southeastern New Mexico, and rarely in southern Arizona. Spends winters in tropics. Preferred habitats include open country near caves and cliffs.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"chu-chu", "zweih"

Interesting Facts

  • Cave Swallows often have their nests in places with minimal light, so it appears they locate their nests by flying past the nest site and then turning toward the nest, offering them a better vantage point.
  • Their population growth may be related to the use of cement I-beams in highway construction. The undersides of these beams provide an environment similar to the traditional limestone cave nesting sites.
  • One of the largest colonies makes its home in Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico, where they co-exist with Mexican free-tailed bats.
  • A group of swallows has many collective nouns, including a "gulp", "herd", "kettle", "richness", and "sord" of swallows.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Cave Swallow
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Swallow (Hirundinidae)_blue
Species Petrochelidon fulva
Length5 - 6 Inches
Wingspan12 Inches

Cave Swallow

Cave Swallow: Small swallow (Southwest pelodoma), with steel-blue upperparts, white underparts, rufous wash on breast and sides. Forehead is chestnut-brown and throat and rump are buff. Tail is square. Swift, graceful flight, alternates several rapid, deep wing beats with long curving glides.

● Song: "chu-chu", "zweih"

● Foraging & Feeding: Cave Swallow: Feeds on insects; forages in flight.

● Breeding & nesting: Cave Swallow: Three to five white eggs marked with brown are laid in a nest made of clay pellets and mud, lined with grass and a few feathers, and plastered to the side of a cave, sinkhole, bridge, culvert, building, or even a drainage pipe. Incubation ranges from 15 to 18 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Cave Swallow: Cliff Swallow has chestnut-brown throat and white forehead, or, in the southwest, a chestnut-brown forehead.

Flight Pattern

Swift graceful flight, alternating several rapid deep wing beat with long elliptical glides ending on sharp sweeping upturns. Soars on winds and thermals.
Cave Swallow (southwest) Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Cave Swallow: Breeds in southern Texas, southeastern New Mexico, and rarely in southern Arizona. Spends winters in tropics. Preferred habitats include open country near caves and cliffs.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationFairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight0.7 Ounces