Swallows

Cliff Swallow

Fahlstirnschwalbe

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Swallows3 photosFirst seen: 11 July 2026

The Cliff Swallow is a compact swallow with a pale forehead, square tail and light patch on the rump. It catches flying insects over open land and water. Colonies build enclosed mud nests under cliffs, bridges, buildings and culverts. A single nest may require hundreds of individual mud pellets. Large colonies provide information about feeding areas but also support more parasites.

ID tip: The pale orange rump and square-ended tail separate it instantly from Barn Swallow, which has a dark rump and long tail streamers.

First seen: 11 July 2026 · Oyhut Wildlife Recreation Area · 3 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Oyhut Wildlife Recreation Area11 July 2026

Family: Swallows (Hirundinidae)
Length: 13–15 cm
Wingspan: 28–30 cm
Regional status: Summer visitor (Pacific Northwest, USA)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 27 August 2026
Habitat: Bridges, culverts, cliffs, open country near water
Diet: Flying insects

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Cliff Swallow

Places in my records

Selected photographs