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Cave Swallow

Petrochelidon fulvaOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Swallows (Hirundinidae)
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Family
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