Animalia Life

Hirundo pyrrhonota
SUBFAMILY
Hirundinae
TAXONOMY
Hirundo pyrrhonota Vieillot, 1817.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Cliff swallow; French: Hirondelle а front blanc; German: Fahlstirnschwalbe; Spanish: Golondrina de las Rocas.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
5.1 in (13 cm); 0.8 oz (22.7 g). It has a bluish brown back, tail, and wings, a reddish rump, blue on the crown of the head, a rusty-brown chin and sides of head, and a white forehead.
DISTRIBUTION
Breeds locally but widely in North America and migrates to winter in Central America and northern South America.
HABITAT
Occurs in open areas near suitable breeding sites, often near water.
BEHAVIOR
A migratory species that spends the non-breeding season in southern parts of its range. During migration it gathers in large flocks. The song is a simple, melodious note.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on flying insects caught on the wing.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Monogamous. Builds a bulb-shaped nest of clay beneath a sheltering projection on a cliff. They may also nest beneath overhanging eaves of a building, within the structure of a bridge, or on protected places on a dam. A social species that nests in colonies of various size. The clutch size is usually three to four eggs. The eggs are incubated by the female, but both parents feed the young.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. A widespread and locally abundant species.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
A familiar and popular bird to many people.

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