Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae. These birds are adapted to aerial feeding. "Swallow" is used colloquially in Europe as a synonym for the barn swallow.
| Swallows | |
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| File:Red-rumpedSwallow01.jpg | |
| Red-rumped swallow | |
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| Family: | Hirundinidae Vigors, 1825
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Within the swallow, the name "martin" tends to be used for the squarer-tailed species, and the name "swallow" for the more fork-tailed species. However, there is no scientific distinction between these two groups. The family contains around 83 species in 19 genera.
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Swallow Media
- Riparia riparia.jpg
The bill of the sand martin is typical for the family, being short and wide.
- Hirundo abyssinica.jpg
The lesser striped swallow is a partial migrant within Africa.
- Adult Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) in Waterville, Maine.jpg
A northern rough-winged swallow photographed in central Maine, the northeastern limit of the species' breeding range.
- Tachycineta bicolor 18319.JPG
A tree swallow attending its nest in a tree cavity
- Nesting Swallows at Skomer Island, Wales.webm
Swallow chicks nesting at the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone, 2017: Video by Natural Resources Wales
- Svalor - Ystad 11 juni 2025.webm
Swallows forage in Ystad 2025
- Cliff Swallow-27527-2.jpg
Two American cliff swallows constructing mud nests
Song of the purple martin.
The Bahama swallow is listed as an endangered species.
An artificial purple martin nesting colony