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The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The term "swallow" is used as the common name for Hirundo rustica in the UK [ 1] and Ireland. [ 2] .
Swallows are small birds with dark, glossy-blue backs, red throats, pale underparts and long tail streamers. They are extremely agile in flight and spend most of their time in the air. They are widespread breeding birds in the Northern Hemisphere, migrating south in winter.
Learn how to identify swifts, swallows and martins. These birds are all summer visitors to the UK. Here's how you can find the difference between a swift and a swallow or work out what kind of martin you could have spotted!
Recorded breeding in 95% of 10-km squares, the Swallow has the most extensive distribution of any summer migrant in Britain & Ireland. It is absent only from a few areas of northern Scotland and from central London.
Swallows are widespread and common birds of farmland and open pasture near water. They are agile fliers, feeding on flying insects while on the wing. Before they migrate back to their wintering grounds in Africa, they can be seen gathering to roost in wetlands, particularly reedbeds.
Scientific name: Hirundo rustica. Family: Hirundinidae (swallows and martins) Habitat: grassland, heathland, woodland, towns. Diet: flies and aphids. Predators: birds of prey, especially hobbies. Origin: native. What do swallows look like? Swallows are dark blue with a cream underside.
Swallow, any of the approximately 90 species of the bird family Hirundinidae (order Passeriformes). A few, including the bank swallow, are called martins (see martin; see also woodswallow; for sea swallow, see tern). Swallows are small, with pointed narrow wings, short bills, and small weak feet;
Key facts. Scientific name: Hirundo rustica. Status: Breeding summer visitor. Breeding birds: 860,000 territories. Conservation status: Green. Family: Swallows & martins. Length: 17 – 19 cm. Wingspan: 32 – 35 cm. Weight: 16 – 25 g. Typical lifespan: 2 years. What do swallows look like?
The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world, occurring on all continents, with vagrants reported even in Antarctica. [2] [3] It appears to have the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometres globally.
Hirundinidae - Swallows and Martins. Swallows must be amongst the most popular birds - their arrival each spring in the northern hemisphere presages the onset of summer. Swallows are eaily recognised with their slender bodies, long pointed wings and forked tails; martins tend to have much less deeply forked tails.
