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The cliff swallow or American cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. [2]
28 lip 2012 · Key identification features include the pale rump and forehead and rusty cheeks. Groups gather mud in their bills along streambanks, lakesides, or puddles to build their nests. Builds mud nests in colonies on cliff ledges or under bridges, eaves, and culverts.
Cliff Swallow Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Busy flocks of Cliff Swallows often swarm around bridges and overpasses in summer, offering passers-by a chance to admire avian architecture and family life at once.
Compact swallow with a short, square tail. In flight, looks slightly less angular than other swallows, with more rounded wings. Note pale buffy-orange rump, which separates Cliff from most other swallows in range.
At a Glance. This swallow is probably far more common today than when the Pilgrims landed. Originally it built its jug-shaped mud nests on the sides of cliffs. However, the sides of barns and the supports of bridges provided sheltered sites that were far more widespread than the natural ones.
Formerly restricted to canyons, foothills, and river valleys with natural cliff faces and overhangs, Cliff Swallows have spread into a wide variety of habitats by nesting on buildings, bridges, and other human-made structures.
These birds like to build large nesting colonies on cliffs, buildings, and under bridges. Learn more on what makes cliff swallows unique.
